Contributed by: Jet on Wednesday, January 11 2012 @ 09:02 am
Last modified on
It’s no surprise to anyone that the popularity of online dating is growing; it’s even being embraced by new generations, such as baby boomers. The question is, why is online dating suddenly more acceptable? Is it just that its put in its time and earned its “cred”? While that’s certainly part of it - the more familiar something is, the less intimidating it is - I think there’s actually a more complex reason contributing as well.
To put it in two words: social networking.
Online dating is essentially marketed to a few types of people. If you’re the first type, you might decide to use online dating sites because you’re looking for an alternative to a tired bar scene, or maybe your job has working strange hours and it’s harder to meet people during the standard evening hours. You’re using it for the convenience, but still you’re impatient with the “online” aspect of it - let’s meet in person, already!
Another type prefers online dating because they’re more comfortable with the idea of “meeting” online first. Perhaps they express themselves better in writing, or they’re shy. They like getting to know someone through emails first so that they’ll actually have something to talk about during the inevitable awkward first date. For them, online dating is less about convenience, and more about playing to their strengths.
So where does social networking come in? It helps bridge the gap between the two types of people, making them potentially compatible. Maybe five years ago that first type of person would have been skeptical about the idea of “getting to know someone” through a profile or email; now, however, they’ve witnessed how much information they’ve learned about co-workers or family members through social networking (maybe too much) and perhaps they’ve even made new friends through Twitter.
Essentially, social networking has helped us all strengthen the skill of communication via internet. Suddenly, online dating becomes not a necessary evil, but a sensible alternative to the dating scene for anyone. And since it’s narrowing the gap between “different” types of people, it’s widening the potential dating pool for most, as well.
Who would’ve thought chatting about your day would be so useful?