Reader Question

Blind Dating vs Online Dating

By: Mandee Curtis

Studies show that fewer relationships begin with traditional methods of meeting someone.  One research article I read called “Searching for a Mate: The Rise of the Internet as a Social Intermediary” shows research on dating statics; it states that there is a steady decline of relationship partners meeting in traditional settings. Think about it, now days it is not as common as it used to be to meet someone by being introduced by family, friends, and coworkers or simply meeting at school, church, and in the community.  It is still common, just not as common.  This is due to the introduction of online dating.  The overall partnership rates have also increased due to the Internet Era. 

For most of the late 20^th century meeting someone through a friend (blind dating) has been the most popular way of meeting a prospective relationship partner.  The statistic for couple whose first meeting was “brokered by friends” went from 21% in 1940 up to a high of 40% in 1990 before dipping down to 30% in recent years (Rosenfeld and Thomas).  Meeting partners through coworkers has always been a little less popular then meeting through friends but does follow the same pattern in increase then decline over the past 7 decades.

It is important to note that all traditional forms of meeting partners, whether it is from our friends, our family, people we work with, people we met at school, people we pray with, or fiends in our community have statistically shown significant decline.  One of the only exceptions to this trend is heterosexual couples meeting in collage which rose 6% from 1940 to a total of 11% in 2000 but then declined slightly after year 2000 (Rosenfeld and Thomas).

Obviously, before 1990 you wouldn’t find couples meeting by the internet, but between 1995 and 2005, there was exponential growth of 22%.  Then by 2009, the internet was the third mostly likely way of meeting someone followed very closely by bars, restaurants, and other public places (Rosenfeld and Thomas).  That says a lot about what the internet and social media has done to our society.

Given this data, it is clear that meeting someone through friends or family, or “blind dating,” is still the most popular introduction method for heterosexual couples in the United States but the current trends suggest the likely possibility that meeting someone online will eclipse friends and family in the very near future (Rosenfeld and Thomas). 

Recently I read or saw in the news that by the 2020 the entire world will have access to the internet.  Just think what that will do to our dating pool. J

Works Cited

Rosenfeld, Michael J and Reuben J Thomas. "Searching for a Mate: The Rise of the Internet as a Social Intermediary." American Soociological Review (2012): 523-547.