Busy singles look online

By Jessica McDonald

macd0361@algonquincollege.com

In a fast-paced society, finding a date on top of keeping up with homework assignments and

social events can be a challenge for students with a hectic schedule.

Online dating has become the go-to choice for busy people. The usual suspicion of most people who browse ads is that the person on the screen has some sort of abnormality, dysfunction, or serious problem with the other sex or else they wouldn’t be on a dating site. However, through personal experience, I’ve come to realize there are some interesting single people who just prefer to meet online.

Recently, I created a profile on Lavalife and OkCupid.com to see what the big fuss was all about, but I didn’t find anyone who interested me. Despite my lack of connections though, I quickly realized the appeal of cyber dating.

Virtually everyone has an extensive description of their likes, dislikes, and basic information, which makes it easy for someone to weed through people that may not be a suitable mate. When meeting someone at a bar, typical hook-ups don’t involve much talking. There are plenty of people to meet in school, at work, and in clubs. But why not cut out the basic 24 questions and speed the process to find what you like?

Facebook is described as a social network, but it has been used as a dating tool. Browsing through the “people you may know” section, I found a 22-year-old male university student who caught my eye. He described himself as a funny, sarcastic person on his profile. I sent him a poke, and awaited his response. Within the next hour, he poked me back, messaged me, and we exchanged e-mails.  After a few online exchanges, we began talking on the phone for hours. Following the initial two weeks, we decided to meet in person. He lived an hour away and agreed he would come to my hometown for dinner and a movie.

When we met in person I was more nervous than a kid at a dentist for the first time. I opened the door to online dating and found someone new. His picture did not do him justice; his smile was warm and inviting.  

After the initial butterflies, conversation was flowing because we had already discussed our favourite movies, artists, and hobbies online. It was a perfect first date; the preliminary questions had been answered.

According to Lindsay Harris, professor of the understanding human sexuality course at Algonquin, online dating is not something new. Over 60 years ago, people used to meet through classifieds in newspapers, and today’s classified ads have become online dating websites.

Harris explained that online dating is popular because of safety reasons and anonymity.  

“I think for both men and women it’s an anonymous way to approach a relationship. It’s a safe way,” said Harris.

By filtering through ads, in person rejection is not a concern.

Taking precautions not to divulge too much information on a profile is important, as with any other social network, said Harris.

But profiles aren’t always an accurate representation of the person. Harris explained that most men lie about their social status, and most women lie about their physical appearances online, which is a problem because women go after social security, and men go after appearances.

Online dating remains a useful tool for many people.

“It puts you in contact with a wide range of people you wouldn’t meet regularly in everyday situations,” he said.