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| Online Dating |
Online dating has been around for awhile, but is still a fairly new method of courtship. Although it seems hard to believe, online dating is becoming a very popular way for couples to interact and start a relationship. In this entry I will be analyzing the popularity of online dating, the risks that go along with it, and then analyzing how the media influence our perception of this dating phenomenon.
There are several online dating sites; two of the most popular are eHarmony, and Match.com. According to the eHarmony website, there are 20 million registered users drawing on their expertise of match making. Match.com boasts that it gains 20,000 new singles to join their site every day.
Online dating leaves many skeptical, and for obvious reasons. With online dating you are unable to have real life, face to face interactions upon first communication. How do you know that the person you are talking to is who they say they are? In a February 2011 dBusiness News story, the Better Business Bureau warned readers of possible scammers using online dating sites.
“Every year, scam artists use romance schemes to generate millions of dollars from unsuspecting victims, which makes it vital for consumers to exert caution when using online dating services.” said Toby Barfield, president and CEO of BBB serving Eastern North Carolina. “Scam artists are constantly coming up with new ways to trick victims, and are even going as far as creating phony dating Web sites.”
So with risks like these, how is it that online dating sites continue to grow and gain users to take part in this new phenomenon of dating?
The media plays a part in how we feel about online dating. An ABC special on eHarmony promoted the very positive and successful aspects of the site. It focused on the site's intense scientific methods to enhance compatibility. It also showcased the very happy couples who were able to find love by using the site.
In a February 2011 CNN story, a woman talks about her success with online dating. She met a man online and their relationship began flourishing; first with phone conversations, then Facebook, then dating, and now they're married. A picture of the very happy couple on their wedding day was also included.
Along with these news stories, think about the online dating commercials we see on TV every day that depict blissful, loving couples accrediting their success to the site.
As we hear news stories like these and see the images that correspond, our perception of online dating is enhanced and we become more comfortable with it. Maybe we even decided to try it. So in a new age of courtship, online dating may be the new thing. Someday, we might all be participating in it.
Sadie, exceptional use of multi-media both in your Youtube clips as well your links to dating sites and the news articles pertaining to them! Quite impressive!
ReplyDeleteI'm a skeptic of online dating myself, as I just cannot wrap my head around why people can't find their significant other in their everyday life. That being said, my mother has a close friend who found her husband (second husband actually) on Match.com.
I wasn't aware of the risks you mentioned as far as scamming either, or I should say i didn't know it occurred on dating sites.
I'd also like to compliment you on your profession writing skills. It makes you sound credible and professional.
I did find one grammatical error in the line below the CNN link. It was a simple "their" instead of "they're".
Other than that great post!
LOL @wade "second husband actually"
ReplyDeleteYou chose a great topic for Valentine’s. I’m also skeptical about online dating but eHarmony and Match.com make it sound like it is becoming a lot more normal to begin relationships through dating sites. The scientific methods used to test compatibility are interesting to me. It makes sense that some science could be used to check if there would be a better chance of “chemistry”. The scamming that you reference to seems like one of those typical news stories that scare the public about doing anything online. Every time I hear a news story concerning internet use, they are always warning the public to be weary of scammers or viruses, it’s sickening.
I like the placement and amount of your multimedia and hyperlinks. The blockquote does a really good job of breaking the blog up a bit while explaining the scamming aspect of online dating. I remember seeing that commercial once and being surprised she said I will shank you. Haha it’s a very nice touch.
A suggestion of a topic for you could be how the internet is affecting the current news coverage in the Middle East.
Hey Sadie, great topic. I recently wrote about lying while trying to date online so it was nice to see your youtube clips of success stories! Your writing is solid, and your paragraphs are brief making it easy to skim also good use of multimedia incorporation.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I would have liked to have heard was an opinion about letting a computer pick a match for us. Could a computer possibly know us better than we know ourselves from a measly 128 question survey? There has to be so much more to a person's personality than can be summed up in 128 questions. But it seems to have worked for lots of people, perhaps we're moving from an age of "love at first sight", to "love at first log in"?
One thing I noticed (and I know its being nitpicky) but you used the phrase "very happy couple" twice in about 4 sentences, it's sounds repetitive but is an easy fix.