Online Dating: The New Form of Looking for Love

New age media has changed everything we do; from the way we cook to the way we talk on the phone and now to the way we date. People don’t seem to care for face to face interaction anymore, its all about time management and getting to know people when it is convenient, preferably on the fly. This is why there has become a growing trend in social networking, virtual speed dating and online dating services. People like the idea of getting to know people in the comforts of their own homes and without the intrusiveness of meeting strangers for the first time. Dating over the internet makes people feel more at ease, there is less to worry about. For instance, not liking your dates appearances or the feeling of an awkward silence. All this can easily be avoided by simply logging out of the web site, can there really be a bad side?

People start to loss out on real communication having to go through a medium such as the internet to connect with the outside world. Not to mention that a lot of the stuff put out on the internet is false, half of the people on these dating sites lie about something in there profile. It might be easier to just meet up with a person in real life see if you like them or not and move on. Instead of looking online then deciding the person is worth the time in meeting, then going through the process of getting together and realizing the person form your virtual reality is not who they seem to be, thus resulting in the process starting all over again. Why bother. Even though today people live stressful lives it seems more fun and interactive to meet with people in person, instead of dating your Dell.

Add a comment March 27, 2009

Interaction 2.0: The World After the Dawn of the Facebook Age

Facebook fever has been a part of many Internet users lives since its conception in 2004. Its users number over 175 million and continue to grow on a daily basis. Based upon those same daily statistics, over 3 billion minutes are spent on Facebook and over 18 million people update their status. Per month, over 850 million photos uploaded, 2 million events and 25 million user groups are created.

The numbers and statistics are seemingly endless but all point to one overall, encompassing truth: Facebook is the new standard in online interaction. Social networking is no longer a fad, it is a way of life. No longer is it limited to colleges in the United States, either. Facebook has expanded worldwide and is available in well over 30 languages. In fact, over 70% of users come from outside the United States.

Those who still believe that Facebook is a passing fad might be surprised to learn that it is now the #1 social networking site, dethroning MySpace in 2008. Moreover, some are even beginning to fear that it will outshine blogs comments as a means of online opinion, debate and rhetoric. This opinion in itself is a testament to Facebook’s meteoric rise to the top of the online interaction ladder.

Facebook’s competitive adaptability means that users concerns and desires are taken into account and implemented as much as possible. This should come as no surprise; tremendous growth breeds tremendous change.

So, with Facebook now becoming an intricate part of our daily lives, what did we do before it? As this clever video points out, it must have been near impossible to keep track of birthdays, events, distant relatives, friends from the past, etc.

Despite what the video generally describes as redundancy and pointless sharing of information, the fact of the matter is that Facebook is useful and helpful. Sure, the average user might spend too much time on it, dwindling away on inconsequential photos of their high school science lab partner’s recent trip to Iowa. Its brilliance, however, stems from the capability to find relationships from the past and keep in touch and share. And that is the overarching appeal: keeping in touch, sharing memories, expressing opinions. In one simple word, interaction.

This begs the question, though, are we becoming Facebook-dependent? Are we dulling ourselves to the point where we cannot even remember our own mother’s birthday without a quick glance at our Facebook home page? Technology induces laziness at practically all levels; Facebook is no exception.

And despite its fair share of criticism, Facebook is, on the whole, a very useful service and one that will likely continue to expand in the coming years. It helps us stay connected with one another, remind each other of important dates, invite each other to our events, find supporters of shared opinions, etc. Compared to previous centuries when social interaction was basically limited to small populations (the village, town, fiefdom, etc) and thus quite connected, Facebook (and other mediums like it) is increasing our level of connectedness and interaction. Despite our population being exponentially larger in our modern day, I would argue that our level of connectedness has increased accordingly in what can only be described as the direct relationship between social interaction and online technological advancement.

In my opinion, the Facebook Age is here and will remain a constant because of two undeniable truths: humans are social creatures and, technology will never cease to advance.

Add a comment March 20, 2009

“I Tweet, Therefore I Am”

MySpace has come and gone, Facebook is still alive and kicking, but there’s a new kid on the social networking block and its name is Twitter.

This new internet craze started off in 2006 as a side project of founder Evan Williams and his company, Odeo. Since then, it has boomed into a major competitor in the social networking scene. In November 2008, Twitter had an estimated 4-5 million users.

But what is the appeal?

Well, it may seem trivial, but apparently leaving simple status updates limited to 140 characters or less is quite the addiction.

Celebrities “tweet”, including the likes of President Barack Obama, Senator John McCain, MC Hammer, Jimmy Fallon, etc. They have “followers” that number in the tens of thousands. My own boyfriend uses the site to “tweet” about hockey along with other enthusiasts updating each other on scores, trade rumors, and other hockey-related things I will never, ever understand.

Twitter’s founder, Evan Williams, recently made a presentation about his site and its abilities, as well as its adaptability to users’ constantly evolving needs.

Williams describes Twitter not only as a social networking tool, but one that can be depended on in times of crisis and emergency. As stated in the video, the Twitter staff had no idea that their network would evolve to fulfill such an important (and sometimes life-saving) task. The media has also hoped on the Twitter bandwagon, promoting their products and using it as a form of viral advertising.

With all its positives (both intentional and not), what is going on in the mind of the average Twitter user? Owen Thomas of Valleywag recently posted an article outlying the psychological aspects of the average Twitter user. In summary, Thomas finds that users post “tweets” about their mundane activities because of an underdeveloped sense of self. Users amass “followers” as a form of reassurance of their importance.

For better or for worse, one thing is certain and that is that Twitter is here to stay. With its ever-increasing number of users, simplicity and addictiveness, Twitter is quickly earning its spot alongside the industry giants.

And hey, who doesn’t like to “tweet” a little every now and then?!

1 comment February 28, 2009