How the internet has changed the dating scene

Swiping, scrolling, clicking, and messaging… this is what the modern world of dating looks like. While the older generation shakes their head at the idea that we’re now seeking out our potential spouses from behind a screen, the younger generation breathes a sigh of relief.

While the dating scene did become more lax towards the mid 1900’s, men were still expected to make the first move, and only to women they could find in the immediate surrounding area. Needless to say, pickings were slim and competition was fierce.

Premarital sex was finally becoming more and more widely accepted with the introduction of birth control towards the 21st century. The Women’s Movement had also given ladies the empowerment they needed to start making first moves too, which opened up the world of dating even more, and especially for the men of the shyer variety. Despite these advances, one problem still remained: partners could only be sought out in the immediate surrounding area.

Then, in 1994, the world was given exactly what they needed to supercharge their dating experience – a dating website! Match.com was the first one to open its doors. While people were reluctant towards the idea at first, it soon gained popularity and became a dating tactic so widely used that it’s now hard to imagine our world without it.

Dating websites proved to be more than just a fad as they help people who would have otherwise never had the chance to meet connect on a deeper level. Personality quizzes bring the most compatible of people together while levels of attraction are easily determined with a quick flip through profile photos. The stress and anxiety of making the first move ceased to exist, as they could now be conducted flawlessly through the barrier of a screen rather than awkwardly through face to face interaction. And this all goes without mention of the fact that the dating radius expanded considerably, bringing loads of new, friendly faces into the immediate realm.

While there are lots of positives that come with online dating, the trend comes with a couple negatives too. For instance, it’s impossible to get a real judge of character simply by sending a couple messages back and forth, and there are quite a few people who use the service simply as a means of “hooking up”. That being said, many people looking for a serious relationship become frustrated with the process and give up on it after a while.

Yet regardless of the negatives, it is still estimated that more than 8,000 dating websites are connecting people around the world as you read these words. Even more shocking is that a whopping 17% of all marriages that happened in the past year owe it all to the magic of online dating.

These stats go to show that while the concept of online dating has its downfalls, it still isn’t as taboo as it may seem. So we encourage you all to swipe, scroll, click, and message your heart out. Your soul mate could very well be hiding behind a screen at this very moment, and they’re easier to find now than ever before!