Well, adult dating has certainly entered the new millennium. Whether it’s services like Dating on Demand, soon to be launched by Comcast Cable, Match.com or a chat room, lonely lookers are no longer limited to barroom banter while searching for their soul mate. If alcohol is your forte’, grapedates.com can match you up with another wine enthusiast to smell the bouquet with video chats, video emails, and video blogs. Heck, you can even send video flirts to someone’s cell phone! Those daters looking for a little something extra (or married dating) even have websites like AshleyMadison.com, which boasts “When Monogamy Becomes Monotony" and “For Women Seeking Romantic Affairs-and the men who want to fulfill them", to fill those few remaining waking hours. On the flipside, SoulMatch.com and Christiansigles.com offer Christian dating, Mixedrace.com and Saltandpeppersingles.com offer interracial dating, and Gaymatchmaker.com and Bgay.com offer dating for same sex relationships. Dating services have come a long way since the early 90s, and it seems as if the sky’s the limit. There are some free online dating websites out there, but most charge a fee if you want to have any kind of contact with other members. In fact, online dating accounted for more revenue on the internet in 2004-over $450 million in revenue-than any other form of pay for entertainment web services, excluding internet porn and internet gambling (Thompson, Technology Review, 108:8, 2004). Hmm, just where is all of this online dating headed?
In the future, will we simply wear our dating glasses (fashionable dating glasses, of course)-conveniently linked to our online dating profile-that tell us whose profile fits our own as we walk the beaches, malls, and clubs? The bigger question is, what do we truly want in a mate, and can someone know this when they are filling out an online dating service profile? I think technology has the potential to cut out diversity in relationships, and that could have some pretty serious consequences to the gene pool. Sure, there are some basic human nature issues that should be the same in any relationship (like social versus antisocial, religious versus atheist), but I would hate to live with someone just like myself. Maybe a better profile would simply ask everything you know you cannot stand about other people or activities, and leave the rest of life negotiable. Whether you are looking for teen dating or senior dating, you should always be open for new experiences and different avenues of thought. Thank goodness, we don’t all think, look, and act the same…how boring would that be? Leave your life open for some adventure and diverse thought and then fill out that dating ad.
Another issue that technology dating will have to address for individuals like myself is that of smell and hygiene. Am I just weird, or does this play a role for most people? If a person does not smell good or brush their teeth a few times a day, I could care less whether or not they like to walk the beach or candle lit dinners. I know this may be shallow, but could I have a smell-o-phone please? The point is that as of 2005, dating and technology have yet to address all of the senses that face to face dating addresses, but who knows what the future may hold. Maybe one day we will enter our DNA readout into the singles dating profile and this will match us with our perfect mate. That could be an interesting prospect, especially if this perfect mate doesn’t encompass the characteristics our socialization tells us to look for.
So…daters start your engines…or ready those computers, cell phones, and ipods because the future of dating will definitely encompass technology. I have just a few dating tips or dating advice to remember. Be Cautious about personal information (I cannot stress this enough). Use good judgment and listen to your instincts (if something isn’t right in Denmark…end it now). Take your time getting to know this person-don’t accelerate the process because you are lonely. If you decide to meet, make sure it is in public-preferably in familiar surroundings with friends around for backup (Listen to your friends’ impression of the person as well, because sometimes they will notice things you miss). Most of all, do not sell yourself short for the need for companionship-a good dog is better than a bad relationship!
Danielle Peck is the partner and article writer for www.canfibre.com, a website that provides information and resources on personals, dating, and singles.
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