By: Reid Mene
Not until recently have men and women found their life partners before ever coming face-to-face with them. What I mean by this is online dating services. Online dating sites for those who do not know are sites where people can post pictures and information about themselves and depending on the site they are matched up with other people or they are able to browse through the site and can message those they feel they may be interested in. Some of the major online dating sites are, E Harmony, Match.com and so on. (those are just a few you have probably heard about on TV.) Over the last few years online dating has blossomed into a huge phenomenon for the 21st centuries generation. It is estimated that over 20 million people a month visit some form of online dating service. This may come as a surprise to some people but online dating services have become very popular for many reasons. Ignorant people think online dating sites are for those who cannot find relationships through personal conduct because they are unattractive or have poor social skills; this I can assure you is not the case. Although I have never experienced dating through the online world (only because I’m a college student not looking for serious relationships) I have read up as to why people use these sites. Online dating allows for people who work 8 plus hours a day who do not have time to go out to bars or go to other social places on the regular a change to be able to interact with people and possibly find what their looking for.
Internet dating allows for their users to find people who are looking for the same thing they are, or the type of relationship they are looking for. Often when you meet someone face-to-face and you are interested in them even if they are interested in you, both of you may have completely different wants for a relationship. One may want a long-term relationship, to find a sole mate and someone to love, while the other could just be looking for a little fling but nothing serious. Online dating can help people so they don’t have to waste their time with someone who is looking for the opposite of what they want, in turn creates stronger relationships. Online dating allows for users to meet people from all over the world to picking those in their town. A major positive that comes along with online dating seems to be that it is a major ice breaker for the first date. Since you get some background information on the person and have had some contact with them you are one, able to tell if there could be a connection and two there is no awkward intros that a couple could encounter from a blind date.
Personally through what I have seen and read about online dating seems like a very effective form of dating and could possibly be the future of dating in many ways. In class we discussed how these apps are taking of the Internet and the web is going to become the supreme overlord. I wouldn’t be suppressed to find the dating services will create apps for their site so people with iPods, phones, smart phones ect. would be able to check up on their account, see if they have any new viewers who are interested and check new members. If this occurred it could drastically change dating because everyone would be online wither at home or on the go using their gadgets of whatever sort finding dates and long-term love affairs.
Funny that you write about this- I was going to do my presentation for class on dating sites...I'm still deciding. But you're right, I would not be surprised in the least if an app was made for this new kind of dating game. I'm an old romantic and I'm hoping that my dating life won't be so difficult that I will have to result to a dating site...I just can't wrap my head about meeting someone online-- it's not a story I'd want to tell my kids. I'm not putting down the sites, I'm sure a lot of people have found love on them, it's just not my cup of tea. haha
ReplyDeleteI actually have two people in my family that met their spouses through a dating service (one was was online). I can understand why people like them because it takes the hard part of finding people out of the picture.
ReplyDeleteIt is every interesting to see how internet dating websites have evolved over the years. Match.com even having commercials during the Super Bowl. Craigslist is also another way people meet their spouses online as well. I, truly, was doubtful of this until I found out my friends older sister met her boyfriend of 3 years off a craigslist.com add. Goes to show you a lot more people are using dating websites more than you may think.
ReplyDeleteQuite an interesting post, and like Tory I also considered doing my project on this but didn't to avoid possible scrutiny.
ReplyDeleteThese sites are quite interesting and I think you are 100 % correct that this is the dating of the future. I don't have the articles on me but I have read quite a few, one which gave a scary statistic ( to me at least) that in something like 10 years or maybe less 90% of dating or meeting significant others will be online.
To me that is not desirable. My parents are divorced and to help my mom cope we made her a match.com profile to boost her mood one night. I am quite creeped out by this idea but it was funny at the time. I think she might have met some people on there although she would never tell me that. But she's still alive so they weren't serial killers or rapists ( which is basically how I percieve everyone on dating sites). This changed my mind about these sites a bit to see them in a more positive light.
I'm interested to see if I will be using these down the road when I am looking for a more serious relationship or after a failed one... ( but I hope not, I hope to never ever resort to that until I am at least 60.)