Online dating. To do it, or not to do it? That is the question.
A couple of my friends have been doing it. We’ve debated the merits of the whole process, and they are trying to pull me in. But I shrug it off. For starters, I’m not actively looking for anything right now. Secondly, the hopeless romantic in me would prefer another way. But still, in the back of my mind, I wonder if it’s something worth considering?
See, the main problem for most people my age is simply having a pool of potentials. Back in the college days, the good ol’ days, that wasn’t an issue. The campus was teeming with people. You could meet people on the track, in the gym, at a campus club or fellowship, sports games, library, and what have you. Nowadays, in the working world, the circle is sizeably reduced. My pool is limited to the same faces I see at work and church, which yield nothing favorable.
Once in awhile I get invited to these events and “game nights,” which are like singles socials. Those are fun, and you get to meet pretty interesting people. But it hasn’t worked out yet and I don’t get invited enough to count on these socials as my main bread and butter. And I’m not a big fan of finding my potential at clubs or bars, so that’s ruled out. What’s next?
Some would say eHarmony or Match.com. I was never a big fan of the idea since it seemed to trivialize the process and reduce real interaction and people to mere pictures and text messages. And of course, there’s that stigma. It’s only for the desperate. It’s for juveniles who can’t date in real life. And so forth.
But it’s great! At least that’s what my friend K—— says (I don’t think he’s ashamed, but protecting his identity just in case). On eHarmony, he gets at least 10 matches a day from women all over the place. These are women who share similar interests, are serious about dating, and don’t look too bad either. For all intents and purposes, eHarmony has pretty much become his online secretary. It helps him sort out all the applications and resumes for his love life. That seemed fun and easy enough.
But there’s more. He says it’s pretty much like your first date. Sure, you get to glance at their profiles and learn a little more about their background, but you also fill out these questionnaires. It’s called “communication.” So, if you happen to be interested in someone, you can send them a list of 5 questions with the respective answer choices. According to how they respond, you can determine if he or she is worth going out on a date. (If nothing else, I respect how much care and detail go into the process.)
According to recent stats, about one in eight couples meet online. It also appears to be a rather common thing in the east coast, as people seem to have harder time meeting others because of work and the hustle bustle lifestyle.
But I’m still not sold on it. What are your thoughts?
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