How The Internet Has Changed Dating

The internet has revolutionized so many aspects of modern society, enabling us to embrace the services offered by a raft of websites and apps to improve our daily lives. Nowhere is this more apparent than with online dating. Once upon a time, singles gravitated towards bars or nightclubs in their search for a potential partner, or relied on mutual friends to arrange ‘blind dates.’ Nowadays you can introduce yourself to someone compatible from a diverse range of candidates, and all from the convenience of your web browser.

You can cast a much wider net

In the days before dating sites were widely available, singles had a much more limited scope in terms of where to search for prospective partners. Stepping into their local singles bar, they would often be confronted with the same faces, week in, week out. Nowadays you can connect with a diverse range of individuals, literally at your fingertips.

Your tastes can be catered for

One of the most convenient aspects of  online dating services is the way it can be tailored to your own personal tastes. As soon as you join a dating site, you will be given the ability to fine-tune your search parameters according to the type of person you’re hoping to connect with. The options can cover everything from physical appearance – hair color, height, build, with/without tattoos and so on – as well as background details, such as how far they happen to live from you.

Communication has speeded up

The nature of the Internet means when you are getting to know a potential partner, you no longer have to stall while you consider when it would be appropriate to get in touch with them again. You can fire off text messages at any moment. As you commute to work and observe fellow travelers hunched over their mobile phone screens, there’s a distinct possibility they’re busy messaging someone via their favorite dating app.

Cultural and national boundaries no longer exist

One of the Internet’s most far-reaching properties has been its ability to transcend international barriers. When you sign up to a dating site and begin to browse through the personal descriptions submitted by other site users, you may well end up communicating with someone from much farther afield than you would previously have been used to. With the advent of technology such as Skype which enables you to enjoy live web chats, long-distance relationships are not only perfectly feasible, they can flourish.

Monogamy isn’t necessarily the default

Traditional daters often aspire to connect with someone, forming a partnership, then remaining true to one another. This is not necessarily the case with Internet dating, which can be much more superficial. Although monogamous relationships can still exist in the virtual world, it is certainly far from uncommon for site users to focus on no-strings-attached encounters. With such ready access to unlimited candidates for a partnership, it’s no wonder some singles spend all their time flitting from one person to the next without any real intention of settling down.

You can do some detective work

In the olden days, it was impossible for you to learn that much about the background of a new partner. With the advent of the Internet, you can now indulge in a modicum of snooping behind-the-scenes to find out whether there is anything about your potential partner you should know about. With the likes of Facebook and Instagram providing an instant snapshot of anyone’s hobbies or family backgrounds, you can build quite a rounded picture, enabling you to determine their suitability for a serious relationship.