Platforms facilitate relationships, but they can also make people more vulnerable to violence, theft and robbery.
With the popularity of dating sites and apps, this way of meeting people has increasingly become an important ally in the emotional and sexual lives of thousands of Brazilians. While digital technologies facilitate romance and pleasure, they can also pose risks that deserve attention.
The first and most obvious is that these platforms, by guaranteeing anonymity to those who want to be more “hidden” and speeding up a meeting in a few minutes, can also make people more vulnerable to violence, theft and robbery.
Week after week we come across news stories about financial scams, physical and psychological abuse, and even deaths resulting from meetings arranged through websites and apps.
Criminals are not always identified or arrested, which means that users of these apps (often uninformed) continue to be exposed to danger. The platforms also use few effective mechanisms to check and verify registered profiles.
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Last week, for example, in Luziânia (GO), two call girls held in a private prison a client who hired the service on a dating site. He was drugged with the drink “Good night, Cinderella” (with substances that induce loss of consciousness and sleep), and the women used his card, causing a loss of R $ 40,000. This week they were identified and arrested.
Last month, a 24-year-old man was killed in Sao Paulo after arranging to meet up on a dating app. He arrived at the designated location and was shot while responding to a robbery attempt by two men on a motorcycle.
Similar crimes have been reported in the same area of the capital, which indicates a gang that uses this type of app, in this case aimed at the gay public, to attract contacts in a deserted street and succeed in stealing cell phones, credit cards and other objects.
It was only a matter of time and opportunity for criminals to use this type of technology to access their victims. What is surprising is that platforms, after being on the market for so long, are unable to guarantee the authenticity of profiles and the safety of users.
It’s also important to understand the vulnerabilities that those who use these apps may face. When seeking urgency and urgency in emotional and sexual encounters, anonymously or incognito, users often leave aside basic safety precautions, such as trying to verify the identity of the person they’re meeting, arranging to meet in a public place frequented by others, telling someone you know that you’re making a date, not bringing a stranger home or giving your home address to someone you’ve just met, or even accepting suspicious drinks.
For groups like the young LGBTQIAP+ population, who still face stigmas and prejudices that limit romantic encounters in school or offline life, these apps are now one of the main gateways to a potential partnership. It would be important for these young people to better understand the risks of the apps, and for the platforms to provide greater protection.
Two other points are also worth discussing. Some studies have shown that even adolescents and preteens under the age of 18 have created and used profiles on these dating apps, which adds an even greater degree of vulnerability due to their inexperience and immaturity at this stage of life.
And there is still the phenomenon now described as “dating fatigue.” People spend so much time on apps trying to make a date work, get so many “nos” until they get a “yes,” and can face repercussions on their self-esteem, that when they do get a “match,” they end up neglecting some basic care and taking risks to live in the moment.
Once again we realize how important it is to work on digital education, on the emotions involved in our affective and sexual life and on a better perception of the risks and vulnerabilities that each of us can face when looking for love or sex. All this so that young people and adults can exercise their autonomy with more pleasure and security.
*Jairo Bouer is a psychiatrist and writes weekly for Terra Você.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
