Christine Rosen, in her article, “Romance in the Information Age”, poses some of the fundamental questions in the age of the Internet. To what extent do our technologies transform who we are? What challenges do these technologies pose to our ability to meet and maintain a successful relationship that begins on the Internet? Can technology and/or science lead to a more meaningful and compatible relationship?
I really enjoyed this article and your critique. I thought it was very relevant to today's society. My point of view is that while technology does allow people to overshare and meet too quickly, I think this is a positive. I think when we meet in person, while there is that mode of mystery (trying to decipher if the person is interested in us or not), it often takes longer to figure out if the relationship is going to work. The internet allows us to cut to the chase, share information more eagerly, meet quickly, and either move on with the relationship or move on to another relationship. I think it cuts out a lot of the guessing game. In a society that is so fast paced as ours, I think things like on-line dating sites prosper for a reason. People don't want to waste time getting their feelings hurt or wondering about a potential relationship. I don't think it necessarily transforms who we are, but allows us to make quicker decisions for what we like. We might even learn something about ourselves through this process!
ReplyDeleteWell, Christine already said a lot of the same things I was going to mention. In your presentation, you said that you disagreed with the author, that courtship online isn't necessarily different. As Christine pointed out, it is just accelerated.
ReplyDeleteI think you could really explore this subject a lot further.
I highly recommend last week's episode of How I Met Your Mother-Mystery vs. History. The entire plot line revolves around the question of whether we know too much too soon about the people we start to date.
I think the trend of establishing online relationships is a great thing. Sandra, I think you mentioned during your presentation that most online relationships resolve into face to face relationships very quickly, I agree. I think it is also easier and faster to meet people online, which has greater chances and more options at establishing a courtship with someone. I haven't really tried any of the online relationship sites yet, but I could maybe use it in the future.
ReplyDeleteAs a past user of Match.com and E-Harmony (mentioned in the article) and having a handful of friends who have tried these dating sites I agree with the author that mostly a person's profile reflects who they WANT TO BE...not who they really are. What I mean to say is that the person on the page and the person "in person" (in my experience) were 2 very different people. For example, I might share that I enjoy nature, hiking in the woods and Yoga....but that doesn't mean I want to do it every day, or that I don't like mindless TV programs like The Housewives of New Jersey. It's one aspect of myself, but to someone else it may represent a lifestyle. I also believe that we are drawn to people who are not like us and felt that E-Harmony based the matches on commonalities. Is that a recipe for attraction in real life? And what about chemistry.....that unexplainable something that we can't describe in words that attracts us to another person. Many of these "relationship" sites are also just "hook up" sites, (not that i would know)....not that there's anything wrong with that!
ReplyDeleteLike you have mentioned,“technology is simply a new tool for us to find love”. We can use it as references when we are looking for someone. And the profiles posted online do help to save certain time to know some basic information about each other. But people cannot "date" online forever, they still need to communicate in real life and get to know each other face-to-face. So I tend to agree with you that,technology may have changed how we meet the potential ones, but won't change our true feelings and connections by heart.
ReplyDeleteI hate to repeat what's been said, but my opinion is very similar to prior poasters - I don't believe that technology will replace face-to-face interaction in terms of dating, but it will augment it. Online dating is here to stay and is by no means a trend. Meaningful relationships are built from these dating sites because dating, obviously, requires face-to-face interaction. In this case, the internet provides a catalyst that wouldn't otherwise exist for a social, face-to-face scenario.
ReplyDeleteSo, i found this article and critique very interesting, and i must say i do understand and agree that online dating is without a doubt a new dating tool here to stay, and that it has been proved to be very successful, i do see some flaws within it that make me a little nervous to fully get on board with the idea. First of all, i think that the aspects of meeting in person and it taking longer to get to know one another as well as it being a longer process to really connect is a good thing. it really lets you screen a person, analyze them and it gives you a chance to see if they are the type of person worth continuing and trusting. Different from spilling your guts too early online, getting invested too quickly and then having more to loose if all fails. It also protects you more if you take things slower, because you then have more time and more opportunities to kind of see if there are any red flags. In my opinion, you are less likely to be fooled, ticked or believe lies when meeting in person because, it can be easier to read people, get a feel for them, and see more through them and the lies. As well, when you meet someone in person, you are able to use your gut, heart and feelings to guide your emotions, allows you to trust your instincts, get a feel if something exists between the two of you, rather then using facts, pictures and cyber discussions to determine if you feel something for someone. I am not trying to knock online dating, this is just a certain aspect which i dislike about it, but i do know many positives exist as well!!
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