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While I don't disagree with what was said in the video (first one), I think there are more things to consider.

Yes, it's so easily to portray any kind of person on the internet. It is, after all, the internet. We can hide behind fake pictures, names, life-stories, and so on. However, this is not a restriction of just online dating sites. Narcissism and narcissistic people are everywhere. We all carry at least some form of narcissism whether we wish to admit it or not. Even the most genuine of person who signs up to a dating site will use their best pictures, most impressive stories, their best behaviour to court another person. On top of that, the most genuine of person can also doctor images to make themselves look more appealing, use filtered images, embellish stories to appear more impressive. We all do it at some point. With what was said in the video, again, it could be argued that we are all narcissistic in part.

There are a multitude of dangers in online dating sites. The pandemic highlights the biggest one of all - scammers. The number of people who have been cheated out of their money by scammers on online dating sites has risen. Sometimes they operate for months and months buttering up a prime subject just to get them to send money. They appeal to a person's inner desires to help, and to be loved.

However, each case of such dangers are quite individual. While the overall picture may be the same, the finer details will always be different. Each individual has their on life experiences and threshold in how deep they wish to entangle their personal feelings with another.

I think it's good to be aware of the dangers of online dating that are highlighted in the video, but it should not be a reason to avoid trying to seek a partner. In the comments section, someone asked how does one meet others in a pandemic.. the answer was 'plenty of other methods'. Truth is that even HG Tudor cannot answer that. What methods can these be? Unfortunately there aren't any. If one is locked in their home and are unable to leave, all they have is the internet. Sure they can avoid a dating site, but as I previously mentioned anonymity is not restricted to online dating sites. It's everywhere. You can meet a narcissist on a car trading forum. You can meet a narcissist in an online multiplayer game. There is no escape from it.

It's up to the individual how desperate they are to expose themselves to others. In terms of narcissism, yes it could be considered dangerous online, but education and understanding what to look out for can also help.

Putting narcissism aside, online dating is a great way for people to meet like-minded individuals and feel less lonely. It's a way for people to connect with somebody else and feel like they're not so isolated. Especially in a world where, right now, it's filled with misery. While I'd say the scale of good to bad online relationships is quite steep in the negative, there are many instances where online dating has proved exceptionally successful. I know of some people on this forum who have met their partners online, and have even married them. They continue to be happily married. My brother met his girlfriend online and they plan to marry at the end of the year/start of next year. While these examples are anecdotal in nature, they are examples of online dating done right. They are examples of positivity.

Overall, again, I agree what was said in the video, and it is very good to understand from the perspective of a narcissist himself on what to look out for when partaking in online dating. I do think there's a little more to it to just 'stop using it' is all.