This generation has become that catalysts of the technology explosion, and we’ve become completely reliant on the Internet to do all of our research and, as of recently, even our matchmaking.

According to an online dating insider website, within the past year there have been 56 million emails sent, 132 million “winks” and 12 marriages thanks to Match.com. Overall, users on popular dating sites have gone on six million dates.

Match.com, as well as other dating sites like eHarmony and Zoosk, is certainly doing something to help relationships get off the ground.

With these dating sites making such an impact on society’s perception of relationships and love, our generation has become programmed to find their soul mate through a website.

Online dating has ultimately become a reality of living in the technology age, but the relationships are not guaranteed to be beneficial or legitimate. Part of this is because not all users on dating websites are looking for a serious relationship. Some are just browsing for casual sex, and some even create fake identities.

Freshmen Leece Coleman and Emily Braun both use okcupid.com. This is a website for younger people, usually in their 20s, and claims to have around 3 million active users.

Coleman uses okcupid.com because she isn’t necessarily looking for a relationship right now, and Braun wants to meet new people that she could possibly date. Both Coleman and Braun agree that their experience with the website has revealed to them the deceiving nature of online dating.

“[Potential dates] can project a different picture than what they are in person,” Coleman said.

For the purpose of writing this column, I created a profile on match.com and OkCupid to get a sense of what it’s like to really date online. I stated in my personal information section that I was a college student and mentioned some of my favorite activities, interests and so on.

I got feedback quickly on both websites and was asked questions based on my profile about my major in college and where I go to school. On OkCupid.com, some people said they liked my personal description and asked me if I would like to chat with them.

I felt like some people were invading my privacy. I was asked about meeting for coffee in some of the first few messages I received. A lot of the users even said they weren’t looking for a serious relationship, just a random hookup.

The Internet, as we all know, is not a good source of reality. People who create profiles on these dating websites can easily lie about who they are because they want to look good. They are using this medium to their advantage.

I noticed that many people never mentioned dating someone. They just wanted to make friends and see where it goes from there or chat with people who they thought were attractive. It wasn’t serious, and the site wasn’t meant to help users find the perfect relationship.

Online dating can provide a convenient way to meet people; however, dating in person is far more natural, as you’re able to tell the person’s true personality.

Not enough of the millennial generation is experiencing the proximity and social skills that come with old-school dating in person, and they seem too busy and lazy to get out there and set up a date.

Our generation’s lifestyle is what’s leading to the idea that online dating is the only way to go. We have become so confident and trusting of dating online that it has now become a huge trend amongst young adults and college students.

But it simply can’t be trusted. It might be a little bit more nerve racking, and maybe even more difficult, but go out and date the retro way. It’ll be worth it in the end.