Online dating for the masses
Bring up a discussion around online dating dating services and who uses them and you’ll get a variety of ignorant answers from those know-it-alls who’ve never actually took the time to check it out.
‘OAPs’, ‘Single Mums’ and ‘Desperates’ are some of the answers you can expect to hear on broaching the subject. The reality is now very different.
These types of people may indeed make use of dating sites but they certainly don’t represent the amount of people needed to bring about the growth that’s hit the dating industry. So who exactly is hooking up online?
An increase in education opportunities has led to a new generation of professionals, many of which give such commitment to their careers it leaves little room for socialising and has pushed back the age they are prepared to settle down with a partner.
As a result the dating option that was once considered for ‘geeks’ and ‘losers’ has now become mainstream based on it’s ease and convenience. There has been a dramatic increased in degree educated, higher income users and what was once considered a young person’s industry is now mostly populated by users 35-55. Furthermore, it’s no longer a predominantly female pursuit with the distribution of users closer to 50/50.
So, online dating is now a popular and socially accepted activity. Great news for the online dating industry but what does this say about our society as a whole?
In a world where ‘SMS’, ‘Facebook’ and ‘Twitter’ are already destroying the the art of face to face communication it is vital to remember online dating is only a form of putting two people in touch. You get no spark of attraction from reading a profile or sending an email.
This can only be achieved through fun and laughter. So, in order to keep some interest in the question ‘how did you meet?’ for our future generations, remember to leave your keyboard once in a while!
