|
When the word ‘love’ is googled, over 2 billion responses come up in .06 seconds. One would think ‘love’ would be easy to find in everyday life, but for many an alternative method is needed for the aged-old desire. Match.com, eHarmony, and AmericanSingles.com are a few of the newest ways adults of all ages can find relationships.
Once a password and username are created, a series of questions are asked including profile appearance, interests, and desired qualities in the in the opposite sex. The site then electronically matches members with similar profiles. Similar to Facebook.com, users can send messages to people they are interested in. It’s usually free to create a profile and to search for other members, but sending and receiving messages requires a monthly fee.
Remela Khiyar, a senior health education major, has some reservations about online dating services.
“The concerns I have with them would be that you never know who you’re really talking to on the other end of the computer. I think online dating services are positive, especially for people that are too shy to approach the opposite sex. But as long as you’re cautious. I’m sure they’re harmless.” Khiyar said.
Match.com, which claims to be “the #1 site for love,” has been up and operating since 1995. They claim to have safely match hundreds of couples. Liz Entwistle, the public relations consultant for Match.com, suggested that anyone with questions should check out their corporate website iac.com. A Match.com press release says that 12 percent of engaged and married couples meet online. They also claim that 60,000 people register everyday.
Joneis Thomas, Ph.D., a lecturer in the Department of Psychology, thinks that students should know what they want before looking for love.
“The best way to have a good relationship is to first decide on the kind of person you want. It’s also important to eliminate that [which is] draining you to make space for someone who can add to and enhance your life,” Thomas said.
Thomas also thinks it takes effort on the part of both individuals to keep a relationship going.
“It certainly does take commitment and action to add people to your life. In the best of worlds we try to find people who will care, challenge us to be our best,” Thomas added.
Candace Brown, a junior pre-physical therapy major, thinks there are two major reasons why people use dating services.
“Lonely people use dating services to find some companionship that they feel they may not be able to find otherwise. A lot of times, they may feel as if they’ve exhausted their options or that they want something new because when they stay in their comfort zone, they end up with the same type and often the wrong, kind of people,” Brown said. “Some people may have very fulfilling dating lives and just want to try something new.”
“I think a lot of those dating services exploit the loneliness, desperateness of people and use the need or desire for companionship as a way to get money,” Brown added. “They basically make people pay to fall in love.”
Ashley Murphy, a sophomore advertising major has different opinions of dating services.
“I think dating services are positive. As long as both parties are honest, then there is nothing wrong with it. Murphy said. “But even though dating services are popular, I don’t think that our age group typically uses them. I think that they are usually used by an older crowd.” Many males on campus do not seem interested in online companionship.
“The kind of people who use online dating services are lonely people, often rejected I think,” said Tyrone Jack, a 2006 graduate art major said. “People might not be as great as you think they will be, like their looks or personality. Meeting someone in person has much more advantages when it comes to finding someone you click with.”
| 
