With email, AIM (America Online Instant Messenger), Yahoo! Messenger, BlackBerry, the dating scene has become more high-tech and less personal. Recently my friend was complaining that people don’t ask for a phone number anymore. It’s more like “What’s up baby can I get that dot.com.”
One of my friends feels that the while the idea of technology seems appealing, it can create a false picture.
“You can talk to a person online and feel like you get to know them but in public are they the same person?” she says.
Is it wrong to hope for the now “old fashioned romance” of meeting someone and getting to know them on the phone and going out on dates? or are online “dates” going to be the newest trend? For those who aren’t familiar with online dates, these are when you and your potential significant other are online at the same time. You would watch a movie together, play a game, or other activities that couples do on traditional dates.
Another one of my friends completely disagrees with me. She says technology has really helped her dating life. She believes that people open up more online because it’s less confrontational thus allowing one to get to know the other better.
Speaking of less confrontational, online dating sure has given people an easy out when it’s time to break up. I have heard some horror stories of people breaking up over AIM or having a Dear John letter sent to their email box. WHAT? We can’t even break up in person anymore?
Another thing that is killing the romance on the dating scene is a cell phone. During a recent visit to a local coffee shop, I looked around and realized everyone was on a cell phone. Ok nearly everyone was on the phone. What happened to talking to people face to face? What happened to talking to the person you actually arrived with? Unless you are a doctor or some sort of emergency contact, you can afford to turn off your cell phone for a couple of hours during a date. How rude is it to be in the middle of a conversation and have your date answer their phone? Not only are you subject to listening to a boring one-sided conversation, but also your date is ignoring you!
Yes, technology offers a nice way to talk to your potential significant other. Maybe people do open up more online but also remember that you are talking to an actual person. Think about how nice it is to talk to someone and see their face when they talk. Think about those special moments that cannot translate online, like how she closes her eyes when she laughs or how he helps you into your jacket when you get up from the table. Bring back romance.
