It's going to depend who you ask, always.
More specifically, it's going to depend upon the ages of those who you ask.
There's an interesting split - if you ask people aged 50+ then you'll probably be asking people who were dating/married by the time online dating came about. As a result of this, and not really having experienced it directly or indirectly, then it's a sort of taboo and indicative of desperation or obscurity.
Slightly younger, there's a little more acceptance. Those in their 40s may have seen the rise of the earlier websites, but even then it was still deemed a little strange. There's a generally accepted mantra through this age group that people who indulge in online dating are a little socially incapable - whether that means shy or it means that they don't get out much.
Those around the 30 mark are the biggest customer base for online dating. Having seen a spate of divorces and separations for older people (parents, relatives, friends) and grown up in a generation of technology, internet and connectivity - online dating is natural. It's just a way to leverage a few different trends and factors in favour of the singles.