It Takes Twenty to Tango: Warnings about the Internet

I made the huge mistake of downloading Tango.
Some people might argue that Tango is a great app. In theory, it is. Tango is designed to help random people befriend each other from across the world. It's a great substitution for Skype or texting services because it's free and every communication possibility - the posting of Facebook, the texting of regular phones, the video chatting of Skype - is all combined into one app.
However, when I installed Tango, I made the mistake of using a good photo of myself as my profile picture. Instead of getting chatter from earnest people over a period of time, I received at least twenty messages within seconds. Every one came from very horny boys (or men - who knows how old some of them were!). Every one was inappropriate or suggestive in nature.
Why am I explaining this painful reality of the internet? Because I want to share some key facts of the global world.

1. People on the Internet don't represent everyone. If you base humanity on the people you see chatting it up on social media, you're going to receive a very skewered impression. For example, on the internet are a lot of homosexual, intolerant Democrats. As evidenced by the world today, not everyone is a homosexual, intolerant Democrat. There are Democrats, homosexuals, and intolerant people, but they all don't fit into all those categories.
2. Don't trust surveys. See number one about this. I mean, trying to gather opinions is great in theory, but surveys don't reach everyone. A survey saying, "98% of people love the Internet!" was obviously taken mostly by people on the Internet and did not factor in the vast majority of grandparents, teachers, and Amish folk.
3. If it's a social site, it can be turned into a dating site. People are hungry for romance, and services proclaiming that they can find you great friends usually are used for finding a date or a one-night stand. "But how do I find friends online?" you might ask. It's the same thing that you do in the real world - interact, reach out, and discuss common interests, then let time and persistence handle the rest.
4. Just because someone has sources and links, they aren't completely undeniably true. I read a hilarious story about a foreign news media organization that thought the Onion was a real news website and used it as a source. Enough said on that one.
5. Anonymity makes quiet people into cruel people. If nobody can find you after you post a nasty comment on a news video, then nobody can beat you up. With that logic, there is so much cruelty on the internet that you would never see in real life. It's easy to rant angrily on the internet. It's easy to make people uncomfortable.
6. Despite all the warnings, Internet friends can become amazing friends. I have a fair number of good friends I met through social media that I know I can count on to help me. Heck, I met my darling boyfriend through a mutual friend on the Internet!