By: Hyacinth Mascarenhas
A few years ago, the idea of having an online dating profile would have easily been scoffed at. Desperate, pathetic, even gullible would have been used to describe the new sap who decided to try something new. The dating scene today, however, is a whole new playing field.
Nearly one in three people who use the internet have visited online dating site sites to find that special someone, according to a study by Oxford University.
According to the survey of 24,000 men and women presently online, just six percent had gone to dating websites in 1997. By 2009, however, nearly 30 per cent of the sample had tried them with almost 15 per cent finding their current partners online.
Why the sudden spike in online dating?
In the age of social networking and smart phones, online dating is now seen as an acceptable medium in the dating scene and even seen as a reasonable solution to busy work lives.
No time, no game, and no patience for the frustrating process of going out to meet someone or even the dreaded blind date are common mantras of people who find themselves lost for time between work, deadlines, and more work.
“It’s just lunch” – a personalized dating website- for example, aim to match professionals together for lunch, a quick drink after work or a weekend brunch to make the dating process simple, comfortable and as easy as possible.
From Match.com to Yahoo Personals, thousands of online dating websites have sprung up in light of this trend and is often seen as an efficient, reasonable and even practical way of meeting new people, getting into the dating scene and perhaps even getting married.
“Going online seems to make the whole dating game so easy,” said relationship coach Jo Dale in a Telegraph article. “You complete a questionnaire, create a profile, put in your criteria and off you go.”
Refurbishing an old trend?
In Asian cultures, matrimonial websites are often seen as a quick, efficient way for people to find a suitable mate. Sporting millions of users in India, various matrimonial websites from Shaadi.com to Bharat Matrimony sport millions of users every year and rake in an estimated $63 million a year in revenue, according to market research firm, EmPower Research.
Targeted specifically to users interested in marriage and not dating, these websites are more than just a few quick sentences about you. While dating websites address basic profile questions from geography and age to hobbies, likes and dislikes, matrimonial websites ask more detailed, personal questions such as caste, creed, race, educational and even financial backgrounds.
Matrimonial website profiles can even be posted by parents, siblings, friends and relatives eager to get their loved ones settled down.
Younger generations within these cultures, however, may be moving towards more modern social networking and online dating websites as opposed to the ‘traditional’ online matrimonial websites.
Nearly 51 percent of youth surf dating and friendship websites as opposed to 48 percent for matrimonial websites, according to a report by a research firm, Juxt Consult.
Although the traditional acceptance of arranged marriages within these cultures is a stark contrast to the desire of the Facebook and Twitter generation eager to try this new ‘dating scene,’ this trend is rising at a slow but gradual rate.
“In a country of nearly a billion even if arranged marriages decline from 90 percent to 86 percent, that still means there are millions of people who could turn to a dating site,” said Sasha Mirchandani, an investor in online dating siteIgnighter.com in a New York Times article.
Regardless of the geographical location and culture behind these trends, it is sufficient to say that online dating is the “new kid on the block” in dating and relationships. Whether it becomes the most practical way of finding a partner or crashes and burns as a fleeting trend is left to be seen. For the moment however, the ideal scenario of finding that special someone is just a click away.
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I don’t believe that online dating or online matrimony is necessarily the way forward as unfortunately, from my own experience it can be difficult to meet quality people online for the purpose of a lasting relationship.
The biggest problem I’ve found is that I meet people, who effectively are met randomly as we have little in common in terms or relationships with other people. When people get married in real life, its normally through real social links with other family and friends, that a person is recommended as a possible match.
Thats why I’m currently looking into the website http://www.FamilyLinXs.com as an alternative to the traditional online matrimony websites. Its a little early to say if the site is working for me, but the way the site is working gives a positive impression.
Spot on with this write-up, I actually think this web site needs much more consideration. I’ll in all probability be again to learn way more, thanks for that info.
hi4hi is not a site, but andoroid app. We focus on getting people to talk to each other, via phone, but still without sharing their phone number. Instant connection with complete privacy, anywhere, anytime. Here is small video that explains the concept – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_1aQuXASGg
[…] DesE-Harmony: Matrimonial website providing fast results. October 8, 2012. […]
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