In a world where you can video chat with anyone around the globe, turn 2-D images into 3-D ones using special glasses, and use your body as a game controller, it comes as no surprise that dating has turned virtual as well.
Online dating is taking the country by romantic storm, and some are more critical of it than others. But, at the end of the day, consider that if everything else is becoming virtually convenient, why can’t dating?
There are several of these sites that bombard the TV advertisements; these include EHarmony, Match.Com, and ChristianMingle.Com. Although sometimes the commercials can seem overdone and cheesy, the testimonials attempt to provide proof that virtual matchmaking can, at times, be effective.
As far as my circle that use it, the numbers are few and far between. Our family friends’ daughter just got married to someone she met through one of these sites, particularly JDate.com. They’re happily married, living in Long Island, and expecting their first child. Congratulations!
My cousin has tried making a profile on random dating venues such as the free one called Plenty of Fish. He met his current girlfriend through his job, but who knows where the “fishing” would have led him.
There are a lot of people who scoff at the idea of virtual meetings. Of course, there is the fear of safety and jeopardizing privacy, but social outlets like Facebook and Twitter (which they’re probably already using) don’t really allow for much privacy anyway. Plus, if you want to pursue a date with someone you met online, there are certain precautions you could take. Whether that means meeting first during the day, always getting together in a public place, or going on a double date – there are ways to do it safely.
Our continuously changing society has made it very difficult to meet someone. People today are waiting until they are much older to settle down. They get out of college wanting to continue college. I don’t mean college as in their education, although additional years of schooling is a contributing factor to people settling down later in their lives. I mean the “other” college life, that of drinking, bar crawls, and random hook-ups.
After graduating school, I have learned that nothing has changed. The only difference is that now we are big kids with bank accounts. The bars are meat markets and men only want to “hook-up” with the most scantily dressed female they can find.
At least with dating sites there is a preconceived notion amongst those using it that this is a venue to actually meet someone. People’s priorities are different, or at least it is assumed they are different, for why they are logging in. They are doing so to meet their ideal match, to finally find someone.
So, just because you can search for anything you want online, including a potential romantic interest, doesn’t mean it deserves the hate. I am definitely an old-fashioned gal, but seeing the war zone out there known as dating – I definitely think the girls are just trying to get out of the trenches to an equal playing field. If they need to do that through online dating – then start taking some good profile pics ladies!