Online Dating: Is it Safe Or Dangerous To Get Involved In 1

Online Dating: Safe or Dangerous in Today’s World

Speech outline, Full written speech, Reflective essay

Tyler Fullmer

Communications 1020-023

Principles of Public Speaking

Professor Raymond Bingham

4/4/16
 Online Dating: Is it Safe or Dangerous to Get Involved in 2

Abstract

This Research paper and written speech explores the idea behind online dating. It is given in an

informative speech style format, to help offer some knowledge on whether online dating is a

good or bad thing for people to invest their time in. This is accomplished by exploring some

data, research, and other good or bad points about online dating, that I have found while

conducting my research. Attached to this speech presentation is my speech outline, full written

speech, and reflective essay at the end.

 Online Dating: Is it Safe or Dangerous to Get Involved in 3

Online Dating: Safe or Dangerous in Today’s World

Speech outline, Full written speech, Reflective essay

Speech Outline
Informative speech
1. Introduction
a. Attention getter- (Through giving an opening question and statistic point)
b. Thesis Statement (slide 2)-
i. This online dating speech is designed to help inform you of the facts and
data behind online dating, as well as, the good and bad things that come
from it.
2. Main Points I will be Covering (on Slide 3)
a. Benefits of Online Dating
b. Risks of Online Dating
c. What Can You Do to Ensure dating online Safely and concluding remarks
3. Benefits of Online Dating (Slide 4)
a. More people to choose from online
b. Personality tests help to narrow searches
c. Ability to communicate constantly through technology
d. this helps to establish a relationship
e. Can potentially save time and costs
4. Statistics in Favor of Online Dating (Slide 5)
a. Journal of Computer-mediated communication stated:
b. 1 in 5 relationships start online
c. 1 in 6 marriages start online (match.com)
d. 1 in 3 marriages from eharmony.com
e. 74% of single adults use online dating
f. Dating online becoming a stronger trend
5. Modern Technology’s effects for Online Dating (slide 6)
a. (picture used to help add evidence to benefits of online dating)
6. Risks of Online Dating (slide 7)
a. Lots of online predators
b. Rough estimate of 750,000 predators daily (economist.org)
c. Profile picture/information may be false
d. Some relationships maybe far distant
e. Have to compete amongst other people
f. May take longer in finding someone
7. Statistics Against Online Dating (Slide 8)
a. Academic journal on social networking stated:
b. 60% online couples were in non-marital relationships
c. 86% of online daters scared of false information
d. More difficult to build up trust
e. Online couples at lower odds of marriage.
f. Online breakups more prevalent than offline.
8. How to Ensure Online Dating Safety (Slide 9)
a. Don’t trust online information.
 Online Dating: Is it Safe or Dangerous to Get Involved in 4

b. Take your time in building trust.

c. Always meet in public places.
d. Be aware of odd or weird language tactics.
e. Trust Your Gut feelings.
9. Concluding Remarks (Slide 10)
a. Go over main points again

References for Speech Outline

 http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/02/11/15-percent-of-american-adults-have-used-online-
dating-sites-or-mobile-dating-apps/
 Ramirez, A., Sumner, E., Fleuriet, C., Cole, M. (2015). When Online Dating Partners Meet
Offline: The Effect of Modality Switching on Relational Communication Between Online
Daters. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, vol. 20(issue 1), 99-114
 Paul, Aditi (2014). Is Online Better Than Offline for Meeting Partners? Depends: Are You
Looking to Marry or to Date? Cyber psychology, Behavior & Social Networking, Vol.
17(issue 10), 664-667
 http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21608805-paedophilia-moves-video-chat-rooms-
virtual-depravity
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-attraction-doctor/201404/pros-and-cons-
online-dating
 Online Dating: Is it Safe or Dangerous to Get Involved in 5

Online Dating: Safe or Dangerous in Today’s World

Full Written Speech

Attention getter:

How many of you adults in this classroom currently use online dating sites as a way to try

to find your significant other for a relationship? Well that is good, and please know that you are

not the only ones who are involved in this way of trying to find your perfect soul mate through

online dating. In fact, according to a respected online website called Pew research center, they

have found that 15% of American adults use online dating sites, in trying to find their other soul

mate (Pewresearch.org). This percentage also seems to keep growing in today’s economy. My

current job profession involves being an online counselor, and with this job, I have gained

firsthand experience in helping other people when it comes to Online Dating. I have established a

lot of knowledge and research in this particular field of online dating through counseling.

Transition: In getting started with this presentation, the main point I wish to cover for this

speech is how...

Thesis Statement (Slide 2 on PowerPoint)

This informative speech of online dating is to help inform you of the facts and data

behind online dating, as well as, the good or bad things that come from online dating.

It is my hope that the information gained from this presentation, will then help to give

you a better opportunity to decide whether to use online dating or not.

To get started, let’s examine and go over the main points I wish to cover for this speech…

Main points (Slide 3)

 Benefits that come from online dating

 Risks that come from online dating

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 What can you do to ensure dating online safely and concluding remarks

Now that we have been given on overview of this presentation, let’s begin with the first bullet

point which is…

Benefits that come from online dating (Slide 4)

Online dating can become very beneficial towards those who may have busy or crazy lives

and who are also shy or nervous at first to meet someone face to face (FtF) while trying to date

offline. While I was conducting further research from online, I stumbled across a good website

called psychology today, which listed some of the potential benefits that comes from online dating:

 The first one stated how those who are dating online, have a greater ability in finding more

potential partners to date. This is largely due to the fact that a lot of people now a day’s use

online dating as a source in finding someone to date.

 The second point stated how most online dating sites offer personality/matching tests which

help to ensure and narrow your search in trying to find the right person. These tests can

potentially help to be beneficial because it can save time in finding the person with whom

you are looking for.

 The next bullet point said that those who use online dating have a greater ability in

communicating more often. With the advances of technology and mobile apps, this

constant online communication can help to establish faster relationships with potential

partners who you are interested in from online.

 The last point said how online dating could potentially help save time and costs which is

always a positive thing. (Pyschologytoday.com)

These bullet points listed above for the benefits of online dating are important, because recent

statistics from an academic journal have shown evidence to support these points……
 Online Dating: Is it Safe or Dangerous to Get Involved in 7

Statistics in Favor of online dating (Slide 5)

In the academic journal titled “Computer-mediated communication”, the four authors in

this journal found from eHarmony and match.com that…

 1in 3 marriages came from online dating (for eHarmony)

 1 in 6 new marriages came from online dating (for match.com)

 1 in 5 new relationships have begun through online dating (also match.com)

They also found additional information from pew research center that,

 74% of single adults seeking a romantic relationship have used an online dating site

(Ramirez, Sumner, Fleuriet, & Cole, 2015).

This information stated through this researched journal helps to show that many people are using

forms of online dating sites to find people to start dating. In fact according to PEW research, the

use of online dating has nearly tripled by young adults in the past three years due to mobile apps

and other devices (Pewresearch.org).

Modern Technology’s Effects for Online Dating (Slide 6)

From this graph and the other data stated above, you can see the many benefits that can come

from online dating.

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Now that we have discussed the benefits of online dating, let’s take a moment to examine the

opposite side, which is…

Risks of online dating (Slide 7)

Here are some of the biggest potential dangers that I have found while conducting further

research for my profession as an online dating counselor:

 First and foremost, the biggest threat or risk with online dating is dealing with dangerous

online predators. In fact, according to a recent online website I came across, they have

stated that there are an estimated 750,000 daily online predators who are on the internet

seeking out potential people to victimize. (economist.org)

 The next big harm or risk from online dating is the many false profiles and false

information that is being given out from some of these potential online partners with

whom you are trying to get a date with. With the advances of technology and other

devices, it can become so easy for people to fake their identity online with these online

dating sites. This can cause great frustration when you try to go on a date with them and

find out that they are not the person who you originally met online.

 Other issues may consist of having far distant online relationships because you both live

in different countries while dating online. Or you might have to compete with other

people online who are trying to date the same person with whom you are trying to seek

out as well. All these factors in the end can cause it to take up more time, which is

something all of us don’t want to get caught up in.

Recent research that I came across with, has also shown that online dating may not be the right

answer to consider……
 Online Dating: Is it Safe or Dangerous to Get Involved in 9

Statistics against Online Dating (Slide 8)

In another academic journal from “Cyber Psychology, Behavior and Social Networking”,

professor Paula Aditi, who has a Ph.D. and is the head department of communication at

Michigan State University, explores the idea of whether online or offline dating is better in

regards to getting married and staying married. In this research that he conducted, he used over

4,000 married couples to conduct a survey. From this research he found that:

 “60% of online couples who met online where in non-marital romantic relationships, and

a small minority reported actually being married. They also found that online couples

were at much lower odds of getting married then offline couples” (Paul, 2014). The three

reasons behind why this is, that Aditi Paul stated, (and I’m somewhat paraphrasing these

points that were stated) were, “first, online dating has shown to provide individuals with

too many options to choose from, therefore creating a lack and confusion in knowing

who to decide amongst”. “Second relationships that are initiated online take a lot more

time than you would see from offline. And the third and last reason is, “that online daters

have shown to purposefully take more time in developing a relationship, in order to build

up trust. In fact, 86% of online daters have reported being scared of false information

being displayed online” (Paul, 2014).

From this information that I researched on, you can see that many online daters are not really

looking to get married, but to only date and that can become a big issue for those online daters

who are seeking to get married eventually in their lifetime. You can also see how in today’s

society people are in the fast pace of change and always upgrading, so when it comes to regards

with online dating, if the person you are dating has little flaws and you don’t want to be patient

in trying to make it work, you can just “upgrade”, figuratively speaking, and find someone else
 Online Dating: Is it Safe or Dangerous to Get Involved in 10

who is online to date. This mentality creates an online dating world where faster breakups and

divorce rates could potentially occur amongst online dating.

In conclusion I would like to offer some concluding remarks……

Concluding remarks (Slide 9)

With today’s advances in technology I foresee that online dating is only going to grow much

larger and bigger and will continue to slowly increase. Whether or not you decide to use online

dating, here are some quick tips to ensure safety while using online dating:

 Don’t trust online profile pictures and information immediately. (use extreme caution)

 Take your time in building up trust with your online partner.

 Always meet in public places where there are lots of people around.

 Be aware of odd or weird language tactics that they are asking you. Don’t give away

personal information or give into peer pressure from the other person.

 Most importantly, trust your instincts. You are old enough to know what feels right and

what feels wrong in a relationship.

In conclusion I would like to recap what we have gone over which were……

Main points (Slide 10)

 Benefits that come from online dating

 Risks that come from online dating

 What can you do to ensure dating online safely?

I want to personally thank you for listening to this speech on online dating and I hope it has

helped to inform you of whether to use online dating or not. Thank you!!
 Online Dating: Is it Safe or Dangerous to Get Involved in 11

References (Slide 11)

 http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/02/11/15-percent-of-american-adults-have-used-online-

dating-sites-or-mobile-dating-apps/

 Ramirez, A., Sumner, E., Fleuriet, C., Cole, M. (2015). When Online Dating Partners Meet

Offline: The Effect of Modality Switching on Relational Communication Between Online

Daters. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, vol. 20(issue 1), 99-114

 Paul, Aditi (2014). Is Online Better Than Offline for Meeting Partners? Depends: Are You

Looking to Marry or to Date? Cyber psychology, Behavior & Social Networking, Vol.

17(issue 10), 664-667

 http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21608805-paedophilia-moves-video-chat-rooms-

virtual-depravity

 https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-attraction-doctor/201404/pros-and-cons-online-

dating

 http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/speech-transitions/
 Online Dating: Is it Safe or Dangerous to Get Involved in 12

Online Dating: Safe or Dangerous in Today’s World

Visual Aids

For this Presentation I used three different visual aids to help bring emotion and evidence

into my speech. The first visual aid was used on slide 4 of my PowerPoint presentation. it

consisted of a picture of couple and the man is handing the girls some flowers to her. I chose this

particular picture to help draw in good/happy feelings and emotions that can come from

relationships. I felt like this particular picture was able to fit in really well for the first main

point, which was, “Benefits of online dating”. It made me feel like this picture was able to draw

the audience into that particular part of the presentation.

The second visual aid I used was on slide 6 of my PowerPoint. I chose this particular

visual aid to help bring in good evidence to help support my main point of benefits of online

dating. The picture consisted of bar graph that gave data concerning growth in online dating in

past three years, and how, it has grown by triple the amount. I felt like the data and statistics from

this graph was able to help support my claim that good things can come out, from online dating,

and that many people in today’s generation are slowly turning to using online dating as a factor

for finding there soul mate.

The last visual aid was used on slide 8 of my presentation. The picture was an animation

picture of a man and a women tearing a piece of a heart apart from one another. I chose this

particular picture for the main point, “Statistics against Online Dating”. The reason I chose this

picture was to draw on the emotion to the audience, that there can be risks and breakups that can

happen more often from online dating then offline dating. This picture can help to remind them

of the dangers and risks that can be potential problems behind online dating. I do recognize that

breakups and divorce can happen offline as well, but the picture still does fit well here.
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Online Dating: Safe or Dangerous in Today’s World

Reflective Essay

This research speech assignment has been a wonderful opportunity in helping me to gain

essential skills in regards to researching a topic, and to then use that research to write a full

written speech effectively, in order to help me prepare future presentations. The main purpose of

this speech presentation was to give an informative speech. When I first started this assignment, I

was really nervous about righting a speech concerning Online Dating. I was very unfamiliar with

the topic and had no experience in this topic previously. To help relieve this worry and anxiety, I

decided to conduct a lot of research from credible resources concerning this topic, in order to

become more acquainted with online dating.

This in depth research and many hours of preparation for this speech, helped me to build

up my confidence and credibility, in being able to qualify myself to present this topic of online

dating to you guys. This informative speech was organized to be very simple in helping my

overall speaker’s goal, which was to inform you of the benefits and risks that come from online

dating. I accomplished this by having the speech separated into three simple main points, which

were:

 Benefits of online dating

 Risks of online dating

 How to ensure dating online safely and concluding remarks

This organization style helped to keep it simple for my audience to remember my main

points and overall goal as a speaker in presenting this informative speech.

From the research that I gathered, my thoughts concerning online dating and my views

have changed a little bit from what I previously have thought. Before researching this topic, I
 Online Dating: Is it Safe or Dangerous to Get Involved in 14

have always thought online dating to be a terrible/risky thing to become involved with. Although

there still are some of those factors that exist still to this day, I have found that online dating can

be very beneficial if used correctly and carefully. This helped me to come to understand that

online dating is not all that terrible and good things can come out of it. This is also the reasoning

behind why I choose this particular topic to speak about. I have always been interested in

knowing more about online dating and what the true facts are behind it. I have heard some stories

about online dating throughout my life that were good and bad. I ultimately in the end, wanted to

find out for myself what people have said concerning online dating.

The research sources that I used for this assignment came from credible online website

sources as well as, some peer reviewed, academic journals. These sources were used with careful

planning in order to bring good evidence and support for this presentation. To help add even

more strength to the evidence, I decided to use a visual aid that consisted of a graph concerning

online dating statistics. This helped to add strength to support my main point that was for

“benefits of online dating”. The other bullet points consisted of just pictures that you would

normally see concerning dating and relationships. They were just animated pictures of couples

being together or breaking up with the image of a ripped apart heart. These visual aids helped to

add emotion and reality that comes from the benefits or risks with online dating. The very last

idea that I used as a visual aid, was the background that I choose for my PowerPoint

presentation. It consisted of a pink flowery background, in order to bring the idea of

relationships, because most of us associate flowers and beautiful colors as dating patterns in

presentations.

In conclusion I have found this research to be very beneficial in helping to teach

important life lessons and decisions when it comes to online dating and relationships just in
 Online Dating: Is it Safe or Dangerous to Get Involved in 15

general as well. This presentation will hopefully help me to educate more profoundly about the

pros/cons that come from online dating. The lessons learned from this presentation will help to

influence me, to become more engaged and motivated in preparing and researching my topics

that I will be giving for future presentations. I also would give advice for anyone who would

present this topic that I have created to present, to become involved and passionate with this

topic of online dating. It truly is an important topic that is needed to be more informed and taught

in today’s society with the advances of technology. We all need to become more educated in

regards to online dating, so that way we can help ourselves and others in deciding whether or not

to use online dating.