The Best Bargain On The Internet
People Are Spending More Time
online these days. That, in itself, is no surprise. But we aren’t just doing our banking, checking our stocks, and buying CDs at Amazon.com. Much of this online time is increasingly devoted to “social interaction.” We’re visiting sites like MySpace and YouTube and FaceBook, and dozens of others, where we can watch and listen to other people, and even join the conversation, if we choose, with people we don’t even know, and may never know, outside these cyber-communities.
It only seems natural, then, that as a part of this social paradigm shift, online dating has thrown off its reputation as a refuge for the shy, the weird, the creepy, and the socially unacceptable, and has blossomed into the single largest venue for those romantically inclined individuals in search of each other.
Social Research Confirms The Change
According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 75% of adult Americans use the internet. Of those, 11% report that they have visited an online dating site, or “other site where you can meet people online.” That is equal to the percentage who buy or sell stocks, bonds, and mutual funds online. It’s a lotta folks!
Even in the face of all the new competition from MySpace and the other aforementioned social networking sites, online dating services continue to attract new members, and retain the old ones, and the reasons are not difficult to grasp.
The odds of finding a compatible dating partner, or potential life companion, in your circle of friends, acquaintances, and professional colleagues are slim. Even in a city with a large population, you would have to know a lot of people, or visit a lot of bars, or circulate in a large number of social arenas to improve your chances, even a little. Almost nobody has that kind of time today.
Online dating services offer the safety of anonymity, along with the comfort and convenience of searching from your laptop, while lounging in your jammies, and sipping hot cocoa or a cold brew.
They also offer the opportunity to cast a far wider net than you would otherwise be able to. You can search for a mate across the street, across the country, or across the ocean with equal ease. Of course, should you find someone perfect for you in Zurich, you’ll have some logistics to work out, but that’s another issue.
Wide Net, Narrow Focus
In an odd juxtaposition is the ability to narrow your search and focus on the specific details of the person you wish to meet. Aside from gender, height, weight, and personality traits, you can aim your search at race, religion, social and professional interests, and a host of criteria limited only by your wants, needs, and imagination.
Most online dating services have created specialized areas just for these kinds of requirements. Some, like FriendFinder and SexyAds and the Spark Networks, have created multiple specialized sites to accommodate a wide variety of dater requirements.
This means that if you’re a devout Christian, and are looking for a like-minded partner, no problem. Christian Mingle has got you covered. Jdate may have your potential mate if you’re looking for a Jewish partner. The same is true if you’re looking for someone Catholic, Asian, gay or lesbian, African American, over forty, or Hispanic. Pick a ‘group’ and you can be sure they have their own web presence.
Once inside this larger subset, you can then apply your own, more stringent standards, and seek out that man or woman who is also a lactose intolerant, non-smoker, who enjoys nude shuffleboard on Caribbean cruises. Because the two of you really do need to find each other.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that, whatever your particular requirements, however peculiar, there is a means to search for, and even find, that person. Think about that. Because it’s a fairly radical departure from the past, and how we have traditionally had to meet the people who might turn out to be the most important in our lives.
Specifics aside, the truth is that we’re all basically looking for the same thing. We want to find someone to spend time with, maybe even all the time we have left, who shares our interests, our belief system, our dreams and our goals, give or take one or two. The thing is, there has never been a better chance of succeeding in that search, thanks to the internet, and internet dating technologies.
Given the extensive profiles at most services, as well as the photos and videos, it’s now possible to quickly sort through a large number of potential prospects. Add to this the sophisticated personality matching software, based on psychological research, you can then narrow that field to a manageable number. And you can do all this from the convenience and safety of your keyboard before you ever venture out to meet anyone.
For the cost of dinner in a nice restaurant (Burger King doesn’t count) you can give yourself a gift that might well change the course of your life. For the better. You can even begin, at most services, for free! Online dating services may well be the best bargain to be found anywhere on the internet. And that’s saying something, because I think there are a lot of bargains out there.
Now, all you have to do is sign up.
