I think online dating is hugely beneficial to those whose preferences or needs aren ' t a population majority , like poly people , kinky people , those wanting to date within a specific religion or set of interests , or just people who , due to lifestyle or geography , just don ' t get a chance to meet a lot of people and don ' t have a large circle of friends . I have a friend who ' s a middleaged lesbian living in a major metro area , and she tells me offline dating is close to impossible for her , because her dating pool is so small . I think we all love the idea that we ' ll just run into The One at a stoplight or even at our friends ' house , but for a lot of people , that ' s just sci fi . Having more deliberate approaches available is a big deal .