Smartphone Apps, Dating and Stranger Danger

As technology is evolving everyday, the way people interact with each other is also changing drastically.  It's possible to find out personal information about someone you don't even know just by quickly looking up their name on a social media app on your smartphone.  While some people use social media apps solely to interact with friends/people that they know personally, many others are beginning to use them to get to know people that they've never met before.  

(forbes.com)

An article was posted to CNN.com on Friday, September 21, 2012 called "How Smartphones are the New Wingman."  This article explains how young people (mostly in their early 20s) are using smartphone apps to meet people new people for friendship and even dating purposes.  The article explains the ways that a 23-year-old woman named Malia uses an app called Blendr to meet people.  Blendr is used to show users a list of singles who are nearby and available to meet in their vicinity using location detection services.  The original version of this app is called Grindr.  Grindr is actually made specifically for singles who are homosexual.

 Some say they use these location-based social apps just to meet friends or network.  However I have trouble seeing past the risks and dangers that come with joining these networks.  Certain location-based social apps like these have already banned access to minors because of cases in which men were accused of sexual assault.

(arstechnica.com)

Because of my field,  I always try my best to adapt as as social media technology changes and grows.  However, I have a hard time finding the desire to join networks such as these.  There are certain things that scare me when it comes to social media, and quite frankly, location-based services are one of them.  I am fine with using networks like Instagram or Facebook to post a photo with a location tag attached to it after I've left the place where I took the picture, but that's about the extent of my comfort zone when it comes to location services. 

I am a private person (and maybe a bit paranoid as well), and I wouldn't even alert close friends on my private Facebook profile about my current location.  Social media "privacy" is only as private as you believe it is, and everything shared is still being permanently published to the World Wide Web whether your profiles are private or not.  When I think of using apps that share my information and location with complete strangers, I can't help but think that most of the strangers are at least one of these three things:

1. Sex offenders
2. Murderers
3. Stalkers

I realize that we are living in what is becoming the age of sharing, but in my opinion, there are certain things that just should be kept private.  What is your opinion?  Can location-based networking apps like these be safe?  Would you ever use one?  Am I just paranoid?  Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.