Online Dating- Then and Now

            Originally, I had a pretty negative view of online dating. I knew there were people finding their soul mates through internet profiles, but I still haven’t really thought that it was effective as getting out there, meeting people and building a relationship face to face. After the class we had on online dating as well as the lab, I have formed a bit of a new outlook on online dating, what it’s purpose is and how it is being used today.

            It’s very clear to see that online dating has changed a lot since it’s first inception. Back in the day you might have a profile and some information you want prospective suitors to know about you, of course mostly good things, and that aspect has remained relatively true today. Today, though, a relationship can be formed over an enormous range of medias from websites special designed and engineered for finding you “the one,” to gaming consoles and even our smart phones. For example, I’ve had friends, not close friends, form relationships with women they meet through Xbox live, a gaming interface. Additionally, I can’t say how many stories I’ve heard of people meeting and dating through the use of the app Tinder.

            In a way, it’s easy to say that online dating has changed simply because the act of dating has changed itself. Today there are many more groups of people looking for vastly different things. Want to only date black women/men, there’s and app for that. Are you a farmer looking for a farm girl, there’s a site for that as well. Just want to hook up for a week or two; there are a few hundred sites for that. Dating has splintered, becoming different things for different people. Online dating, in a effort to fill the needs of all these diverse groups, has also splintered, making sure that the 54 year old widow is just as satisfied with her match as is the 22 year old man with the leather fetish seeking his weekly dominatrix.

            With so much data being collected and studies being done on the realm online dating it has become much more accessible and inviting. That is one of many reasons many more people are welcoming the use of online dating as an alternative to other dating strategies. After seeing the videos in lab about people’s experience with online dating, I’d be willing to give it try. It seems pretty fun and eliminates much of the awkwardness that is there when first interacting with someone face to face. Furthermore, it seems easier to form relationships because your shared interests are displayed right there and you both know what you’re looking for, given the nature of online dating. I could definitely see myself in the future, a busy graduate student or someone engrossed in their career, logging on to one of these dating sites eager to see who is interested in little ol me.