Online dating has gone mainstream – is that a good thing?

It’s clear that few areas of life have been or will be left untouched by the Internet. Using the Internet, and without ever leaving their house, a person can buy groceries (and have them delivered), pay their taxes, get medical advice – even “attend church“. The idea of online dating is nothing new, but, as the author of an interesting new piece at Today’s Christian Woman admits, she once thought “losers do this kind of thing.” Now she’s been dating someone for 19 months she met on eHarmony. With more than 25 million unique users per month, online dating has gone mainstream.

There certainly have to be some advantages (at least perceived), or else no one would be doing it. But is it a good thing overall?

The author quotes Second Nature co-founder and Editorial Board Chairman, Read Mercer Schuchardt on some of his concerns:

Wheaton College media ecologist Read Schuchardt is concerned about the implicit messages that dating sites send, especially those like eHarmony that claim to find your “ideal match.” These sites feed the illusion, Schuchardt said, “that the perfect one is ‘out there’ and all you have to do is find them through this fine-toothed comb called online dating. The reality is just the opposite — no matter who you find, it will take a lifetime of sacrifice and accommodation to learn how to tolerate living with the other while they attempt to learn how to tolerate living with you.”

Read the whole article here.

Other articles

Support Second Nature

Second Nature depends on the generous donations of readers like you.

Second Nature is published by the International Institute for the Study of Technology and Christianity (IISTC), a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to studying technology in light of the Christian tradition.

Your generous contributions make this work possible. Please consider donating today to help us continue this important work.

About the Contributor

Second Nature Editors

Editors
Second Nature is an online journal for critical thinking about technology and new media in light of the Christian tradition. 

Comments

  1. I�m impressed

Leave a Reply to Merrill Ames Cancel reply

*

Support Second Nature

If you find value in the work we do at Second Nature, please consider making a modest donation. Every donation, no matter how small, is a huge encouragement to us in our work.