Eric Lenhart
For
some online dating can be a life saver for another online dating can seem like
a bad idea. Online dating of course is a romantic relationship started over chat
through shared information over the internet. Depending on the individual experience, online dating can pan
out and develop a long lasting romantic relationship. Evidence of this is becoming more prevalent than originally thought,
and online dating sites are hoping aboard the love train to rack in the dough
(money). In an Article by Discovery, the online dating company Match.com purchased
one of their competitors OKcupid for a cash sum of 50 million dollars. If this
company is making millions to billions in business involving online dating,
something must be working online. To me I had my doubts of online dating, from hearing
horrible stories of people meeting others that look nothing like they said they
were to even gruesome news stories of stalkers and serial killers online dating
just seemed to scary and unpredictable for me.
The MTV show Catfish did not
help change my views on online dating either, mainly because the online hidden
realm where anyone can be anyone.
Those
opposed to online dating and online dating sites cite that the authenticity of
many of the members is what keeps them away. Often times people will fake out
another person by pretending to be someone
else whether it be of a different gender or race these people intentionally
mess with individuals to get a laugh or some type of thrill. The idea of being
able to present yourself in so many different ways online and be able to be
hidden and unknown is what ultimately keep people away from online chatting and
dating. Proponents of this side think highly of traditional routes of dating
and face to face communication.
After being rather skeptical myself of online
dating, I decided to do some research. I read up on online dating by visiting
match.com. the discoveries article and number of other articles. This weeks' assignment
for lab involving the viewing of the documentary When Strangers Click and discussion questions also helped change my
view of online dating. Instead of a rather creepy industry, online dating is
very beneficial to those seeking a relationship when their frightened or shy
with face to face communication. In another way online dating helps people get
comfortable with each other in order to allow their relationship to blossom
into reality romance. A startling statistic in the Discovery article is found
by Rueben J. Thomas an Assistant Professor of Sociology at City University of
New York, stating "we estimate that 23 percent of the couples in the
United States who met in the two years 2007 and 2009 met online. More people
meet online now than meet through school, work, church, bars, parties,
etc." What I make out from this percentage is that more and more people are
seeking a relationship online and are genuinely looking for a partner.
Who
exactly is online dating for? Well, online dating is mostly for adults 18 and older, and seems to be more prevalent
to the 30s to 40s age group. This range is mostly centered around the ideology
that between the ages of 30 and 40 populations are largely already coupled and
the search for someone seems dire. For most of these people a long lasting
relationship is the goal and that is why dating sites don't translate to the
younger demographic as much from 20-30. College students and other young adults
have other ideas in mind than love, usually short lived sexual desire but that
doesn't mean everyone is looking for a quick sex experience. Younger
demographics turn to other forms of communication via apps to land a partner,
examples are Kik and Tinder. Online dating isn't for everyone that is for sure.
My opinion since researching has changed significantly on online dating. I do
not plan on using the services but there
is always a possibility since it has worked for many people even in light of
the risks. I see both the positives and negatives of online dating and being
anonymous behind the computer chatting. There will always be adversaries but as
long as connections are being made and long lasting relationships keep occurring
more frequently, online dating might be changing some opinions, and creating a
rather wealthy business industry.
Eric Lenhart
http://news.discovery.com/tech/does-online-dating-work.htm
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