Dating: this is the topic of many conversations and holidays. How do you date? Do you pick up chicks at your local bar, scope out those attending religious functions or maybe you accidentally drop your pencil in class? Regardless of your method, it is on everyone’s minds at one point or another.
You may have considered some extremely outrageous ways to get that special someone’s attention or just anyone at all. At times, you may think there is no hope. You then remember the vast resources we have with technology and – bam – you’re in the world of online dating.
Having never considered the option for myself I wanted to know a little bit more about what makes this form of connection so appealing. For starters, you can be whoever you want to be. Now, most sites discourage you from lying about yourself, but, honestly, even if we all tried to be honest about our personalities, we would probably fudge it a little bit.  No one could be that awesome
Secondly, there is this idea of screening the, let’s call them “candidates,” before you actually make a move. When you see a girl or boy randomly in the hallway and are attracted to the point of wanting to know more, you probably don’t know many things about them yet. Online dating gives you the opportunity to read up on some of their likes and dislikes before actually putting the first foot forward and going on a date.
When asked “what is the most important thing you look for in a guy/girl?” most people would say personality. That’s a lie. Initial attraction is pretty much a must for most, if not all, romantic relationships. So, going online gives you a chance to stare for hours at a person’s picture and decide if you could live with that face forever or not. That face might have very little to do with their personality, but, if we are honest with ourselves, we want to like our partner’s appearance.
The process of dating is a game to most. There is the constant back and forth between whom texts whom first. The question of what does “this” mean to each person.
Honestly, this can either be the most fun or the most dreadful part of a courtship. Some of us love the game, others grit their teeth and bear through the garbage until the real stuff begins.
In online dating the intentions are made clear on the users’ profiles. An article for top 10 best dating sites gave a list of the most used sites to date. Most, such as eHarmony, Match.com and Zoosk, are geared toward those looking to establish meaningful long-term relationships. I was amused to see a site called Be Naughty on the list as well.
This is completely based on people who want a fun, no strings attached dating atmosphere. It somewhat sounds like looking at Craigslist for a rental car, but that’s just me.
There are not just sites that are geared toward types of relationships, but ones for specific types of people. Nowadays we have Christianmingle.com for Christians, Jdate for Jewish singles, Catholic Match for Catholics and even a new site called Farmersonly for that small town country person looking for love. There are endless amounts of ways to meet someone online; chat rooms have become a thing of the past.
Lastly, online dating also can pick your matches for you. Personally, that sounds awesome. I would love if someone else would tell me who would be perfect for me and would set us up all for a small monthly rate. This sounds way less time consuming than doing it myself. To me, this would be the biggest perk of it all.
So whether you’re into doing it yourself and letting serendipity pick your partner or you would rather give your information to some experts and see what they come up with, there is an option for everyone. Love is out there, and, it being springtime, it is definitely in the air. Be bold, be daring, be safe and be sure to look your best. Because, remember, personality is the second thing the world sees.
Sarah Ulmer is a junior majoring in communication. She can be contacted at [email protected].