Finding Your Perfect Match

         

For the past 10 years, using technology to find you a date, or possibly your soul mate seems normal, and has even taken over traditional dating styles. Meeting people the “old fashioned way” seems to be a thing of the past. With countless dating websites, such as Match.com, Christian Mingle, EHarmony, Zoosk, Tinder, BlackPeopleMeet.com and many more, it seems meeting people online is the newest and more convenient way to meet people around you. Also, reality TV has taken a focus on shows for finding your perfect match even if you have never corresponded with them online. The MTV love reality show Are You the One is a perfect example of how technology is taking over the dating world and asks viewers the question “if your perfect match was standing in front of you, would you even know?”

   

 

Are You the One has the typical MTV styled reality show vibe, but with a twist. To apply to be on the show, all you do is fill out a simple application, which asks for your name, age, where you are from, email address, phone number, your Skype username, and you have to upload 3 pictures of yourself. After that, technology does the rest of the work for you. The premise of the show is that you take 10 beautiful single women and 10 handsome single men and put them in a house on a tropical island somewhere across the world. These 20 hot singles compete in challenges to gain more knowledge about other cast members to see if this person is their soul mate. Here’s the catch, these 20 people have no idea who their perfect match is and every week there is a matching ceremony where they try and figure out who all the matches are. If they do not get all 10 matches correct in 10 tries, they lose the chance to split 1 million dollar with all of the cast members. Even if the contestants guess fewer than 10 matches, those matches are not revealed unless all 10 matches are guessed. To see if a couple is a perfect match, they go into the truth room, where they stand next to each other while a laser scans both of their bodies, and after the computer does all the work, it tells them if they are a perfect match or not. It just goes to show that you don’t even need to do all of the embarrassing aspects that come with face to face dating, a computer can do all of the work for you! In the season finale, all 10 perfect matches were found and they all live happily ever after.

Online dating expert and author of the bestselling novel The Perils of Cyber Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online, Julie Spira was using internet dating before people had ever heard of it. Julie also coaches young singles on the dating scene that are having trouble meeting someone online. Julie shares the pros and cons how using technology to help you find a soul mate can be beneficial, but also how it can limit your success. “There is no one-size fits all formula. As each person's relationship goals may differ from their best friends or neighbors, know that from hook-ups to marriage proposals, there's a site and way for everyone” (Spira, 2014)

 

Here are pros and cons for finding love, whether you prefer online or offline dating:

Online Dating Pros and Cons (Spira, April 30, 2014)

Pros	Cons
Over 40 million singles in the U.S have tried online dating.	It's a crowded digital marketplace and can be an exhausting experience.
One out of five relationships starts online. Whether it’s on social media, Facebook, Twitter, a mobile app, or traditional online dating site, there are a lot of success stories.	People lie about their age, weight, height, income, and marital status. Singles get frustrated after a few bad dates.
You can meet people outside of your geographic area and social circle with similar interests. You’ll meet more people, so you can learn what you’re truly looking for in a date, mate, or relationship.	It can become addicting to some, who never meet offline or are looking for next pretty face. Beware of the Digital Pen-Pal Syndrome
It’s efficient and available 24-hours a day	It feels like a full-time job for many and you must be organized.
Many sites provide matching tools and send you  emails of suggested matches to make it easier for you to view potential dates.	Many singles limit their search criteria to height, zip code, or income and can miss the opportunity to meet a compatible match.

 

Offline Dating Pros and Cons (Spira April 30, 2014)

Pros	Cons
You may have friends in common which will make you more comfortable	You’re not really sure of their relationship status.
You can determine if there’s chemistry in the person sooner.	You’re limited to your existing social circles or regular activities and will meet less people.
It’s pre-dating, without the pressure of wondering if you’re dates profile is accurate.	Singles may feel shy and not ask someone out for an official date
You can easily date in groups, while developing new friendships with people with similar interests.	You’re limiting yourself to a certain geographic area.
Dating sites have entered the events business giving you more choices to meet in person, without the pressure.	You’re not really sure if someone is interested in you romantically at a group event.

 

        Online dating has its advantages and disadvantages when it comes to meeting your perfect match. Technology has been growing for years now and new advancements will continue to happen, which means new advances will happen when it comes to online dating and reality love TV shows. Because of the rising technology changes, it has changed dating forever. “Remember the goal of online dating is to take your relationship offline. Riding into the digital sunset together is now a way of everyday life” (Spira, 2014).

 

 

Sources:

 

"MTV's Are You The One?" Lighthearted Entertainment. Lighthearted Entertainment, n.d. Web. 2 May 2014. <http://www.lighthearted.com/ayto-casting/>.

"Online Dating vs. Offline Dating: Pros and Cons." Huff Post Style. The Huffington Post, n.d. Web. 2 May 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-spira/online-dating-vs-offline-_b_4037867.html>.