Just because you can now shop, order food, work and talk to your friends online does not mean you should also start using the Internet for dating.

Internet dating is overrated for a lot of reasons. It is not a safe way of meeting people. Also, most people are rarely honest when describing themselves online.

People are better off sticking to the traditional way of dating and actually meeting the person face to face before starting a relationship.

According to an article on the Huffington Post, a recent report shows that when it comes to online dating, there are many common lies that people tend to use most.

Men and women frequently lie about their height, income and sexuality and also display misleading pictures of themselves.

The whole idea of dating someone is to get to know that person well enough to establish a real connection that could possibly develop into a relationship.

This is not possible, however, when a picture someone shows of themselves is so outdated that they’re barely recognizable when you meet them in person.

It also isn’t right to lie about your income just to seem more appealing to another person. According to the report, on average, “people are 20 percent poorer then they say they are.”

To a lot of people, money isn’t what’s most important when it comes to dating. The fact that people are being lied to from the very moment they log onto a dating web site, however, is not a good start to a stable and trustworthy relationship.

As for the issue of safety, many people agree to meet someone online, who they think is the person of their dreams. Unfortunately, there are countless cases of these fantasies turning out to be a nightmare.

Although there are some web sites that require background checks before registration, you can never be completely sure of a stranger’s intentions.

In an article by ABC News, a woman was scammed out of money by a man she met online. After looking at a survey in which 243 people responded, a total of $2.2 million was lost due to romantic financial scams.

This is just one example of why people should stick to the old-fashion way of meeting people face to face.

Communicating online also tends to give way to mixed signals since a person can’t read body language or facial expressions and conversations can often be misleading.

Dating online, in my opinion, is taking the easy way out without any real benefits. It’s being too lazy, or maybe too scared, to go out and socialize with people.

Meeting someone in person allows you to feel more comfortable around them and lessens the chances of being hurt, lied to or fooled.

I’m sure for in some lucky cases online dating has worked out. But in a world that is becoming increasingly reliant on technology and communication happens less and less in real life, the traditional way of meeting people remains to be the best way to form long-lasting, meaningful romantic relationships.