It’s 2018, times have changed and so have the ways people date. We have phones with numerous capabilities and one of them being the ability to connect us to family, friends and people we’ve never met-that being a beautiful uniqueness about online dating.

We cross paths with hundreds of strangers every day. But most of us don’t stop to say “hey you’re cute.” That’s terrifying for most of us, but being online makes things much easier. We get to see their interests, their pictures and mutual friends on online profiles which gives us a good picture of who they are and if we want to initiate a conversation.

If they’re connected on social media with someone you know, you could easily ask your friend about the person. If you find them cute, you could easily like a few pictures which is way easier, for most, than verbally complimenting someone.

Dating sites and apps are fun. Different dating platforms allow you to set criteria for your relative dating “type,” some give you all the power in choosing who you’d like to talk to and sometimes sitting around with a friend swiping left and right is just comical and fun.

It’s convenient. We’re spending most of our days on our phones anyway. Might as well have some enjoyable, flirtatious conversations at the same time. If you’re doing homework on your laptop, who said you can’t take a little break to chat with “username: StudMuffin?” They might be very well educated in the subject you’re working on and could offer some online tutoring.

It allows more flexibility in your schedule. You don’t have to worry so much about trying to make time for each other. You can go to school, work and anything else you do and any of your breaks you can text or video chat and it sure is satisfying when you take a quick phone break and see that unread message there.

There is an abundance of options for online dating. If you can’t find a certain user on any social media platforms or they don’t want to share them with you… move on. It’s very easy to fact check someone’s profile. If he says he’s tall and toned, find pictures of him next to other people. Maybe everyone he hangs around is short, but at least you’ll know he likes them short. If you can’t find pictures or anything to prove or disprove claims made by the person, don’t waste your time, there’s an online ocean full of fish.

It offers a whole new experience. Face-to-face dating does not work for everyone. If we’re being honest, it requires too much work for what we get out of it. Online dating someone who is a long distance away gives you an opportunity to travel. Why waste money going to the same movie theatre every Tuesday when you can save up for a little and take a nice trip to go explore another city with someone whose music taste, favorite foods and different interests are compatible with yours?