Online Dating: A Theory

First of all, that logo is creepy. And I don't overuse the word creepy, you really must earn that title from me.

Okay, here's my theory. I think that online dating is, in a weird way, taking the place of traditional dating in our culture. Here's what I mean: In the old days it was okay to ask somebody on a date (maybe even showing up with flowers), pay for dinner, call them, do nice things for them, and be clear about your intentions. You didn't have to hide that you liked someone when you went out with them. You were on a date, and both parties knew that the intention was to see if there was a romantic connection.

These days, that doesn't happen. You hang out, you text, you stalk on facebook, maybe you even hook up. But god forbid you should go on a real date, or actually show someone that they mean something to you, because that's just creepy.

This is where internet dating has stepped in. While it was once a medium that was looked down upon by society, it seems to me that more and more normal people turn to internet dating these days as a way to meet people. And the reason they are doing this, is because it is clear. When you meet someone on the internet there is no confusing whether it is about being friends or dating. That first in person meeting is undeniably a date, and both people are aware that there are romantic intentions. This leads to people actually going on dates and making progress towards a relationship.

So in a weird way internet dating has come full circle and gone from being the least traditional form of dating, to actually being one of the last things left that resembles dating.

And finally, here's the problem. There are those of us who still want to meet people in person, but everyone is at home all night on the internet, and slowly but surely more and more normal and even cool people are doing the online dating thing, so the pool of people that are looking to meet other people out in the real world is steadily shrinking.

Well, I'm here to say that I'm going to continue to try to date via the real world web, and I hope you do to.