The Evolution of Dating

Let me take you back to a simpler time…back when marriages were arranged and dating was courting. Instead of being “wifed up”, you were wooed. There was Romeo professing his undying and forbidden love to Juliet. Fast forward a few years to the age of technology where the most grandiose gesture of love is becoming Facebook official.

We now have dating sites like Match.com, where users can answer a questionnaire and be matched with others like them; Smartphone apps like Tinder, which allow you to simply swipe “Yes” or “No” through profiles you find intriguing; and last but certainly not least, MTV has developed a new show called “The Hook Up” which allows singles to stalk each other’s social media. The contestant can rifle through a potential date’s tweets, pictures, and anything else cyber related. This definitely puts a whole new spin on seeing who’s behind door number three. Through a process of elimination, the contestant narrows down their decision until finally they choose a potential date. However, the “chosen one” can now stalk the single’s social media before accepting the date. The show premieres October 14 at 6:00 p.m.

According to the Statistic Brain, there are 54 million single people in the U.S. and among those, 40 million have tried online dating. Which leaves me to wonder what the other 14 million are doing to try to get a date on Friday night.

However, what happens if the guy or girl of your cyber dreams should actually be in your cyber nightmares? When it comes to online dating, men lie most about their age, height, and income, while women lie about weight, physical build, and age. The documentary “Catfish”, directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, captures every online dating member’s worst nightmare—meeting up with someone who is not quite what their cyber profile says they are.

Wake up people, this is what dating has come to. Users can show their interest with literally a flick of a finger. We have strayed away from the love letters of the 18th century and have conditioned ourselves to be okay with a cryptic text message, “Where u at?”

The tides in the sea of love are turning. Online dating has now become a socially acceptable way of meeting that potential significant other. Many people concede that they just do not have the time to find someone new. Since they interact with technology on a daily basis, it only makes sense to do the same when it comes to dating.

Men, polish up your Tinder profiles, and ladies, why not try your hand at a cyber love connection? The men you meet can’t be any worse than the guys you already do know, right?