|
The old cliche "be careful what you wish for" doesn't quite cover it on this one. It's more like "be careful what you say you would do if you had the money" - especially when talking to business managers at The Heights."
We were sitting in the Heights business office when one of the editors made a comment about a piece of junk mail from an online dating service sneaking past Boston College's crack spam filter into his saturated inbox.
The unwelcome e-mail sparked a conversation about online dating and how it fits into our culture.
The general consensus was that while it is, for the most part, socially acceptable, it isn't for any of us.
Had I allowed the conversation to end there I may have escaped, but no, I had to push the issue.
"It's not a bad idea, targeting college students," I said, innocently enough, "especially at places like BC, where a lot of people feel the dating culture has practically disappeared.
It'd be interesting to look at if they didn't charge a fee." "Why don't you?" said Mike, the business manager.
Uh-oh. I shouldn't have added that last part. "Well, the services cost money," I replied, backpedaling faster than DeJuan Tribble in man-coverage.
"It sounds like a good story. The Heights can reimburse you for the membership," Mike said.
"Crap," I thought to myself, and I began trying to think of another excuse. "Even if the membership is covered, I don't want to spend a bunch of money on an awkward date with a total stranger."
"You could always write a review of the restaurant you go to," offered one of the assistant managers, "and then we can compensate you for that, too."
I was cornered and out of excuses. They wanted their story, offered to cover the cost, so I had to agree. I will write three articles about the experience of a collegiate online-dater. The first step is to learn about this brave new world I am about to enter, the same world I used to mock with roommates and friends. I will become one of the "lonely and desperate," as I had so coldly labeled them in the past.
When I searched for "online dating" I was blown away by the number of different Web sites that came up. Sorting through all of them seemed impossible, but I stumbled across OnlineDatingMagazine.com, which compiled a list of every major online dating service and what each one's specific area of interest is.
What surprised me the most was the number of different niches that are available.
There were some predictable specialized sites that were for specific religions and cultures, like Amigos.com for Latino and Latina dating or ChristianSingles.com, but there were also several unique sites ranging from WealthyMen.com for "rich men and women who want to date them" to TrekPassions.com for Star-Trek and sci-fi fans.
After reviewing user comments about the different online dating services, I settled on two to use for my experiment: Match.com, one of the largest available dating Web sites, and Studentlove.com, a Web site exclusively for college and professional students.
I discovered that the subculture of online dating is not nearly as underground as I once thought. According to Online Dating Magazine, 20 million Americans log on at least once a month. The growing industry is predicted to increase its profit to more than $640 million in 2008.
As if the rapid approach of "the real world" is not frightening enough on its own, it's estimated that 120,000 marriages stem from online dating each year. The 20 million who log on monthly comprise roughly 23 percent of the single US population aged 18 and older. Subculture? Hardly.
With my research complete, the next step is to make my profile and seek out a match. "Hobbies and interests include: writing, BC sports, the outdoors, and being an unwitting test subject for social experiments. Seeking: someone who enjoys good conversation, Post-it notes, and Disney sing-alongs."
Oh, I almost forgot: "Terrier fans need not apply."
By Matt Carroll
| 
