The Internet has had a profound effect on society, not least on modern relationships. Social media has revolutionized how people can communicate in the early 21st century. The availability of user-friendly technology to make contact with a potential love interest has proved to be particularly popular, with more and more singles signing up to dating sites like TenderMeets. Here are some of the many ways the Internet has impacted relationships.
Choice of partner
Prior to the advent of the Internet, there was much more limited scope for singles seeking partners. The traditional outlets for anyone searching for a love interest, or just acquaintances to boost their friendship circle, tended to be bars or clubs, social functions or encounters arranged by mutual friends – the so-called blind date scenario. In these settings, the choice of partners was limited to whoever happened to be in the vicinity. The Internet has opened up a whole new dimension of possibilities.
In terms of relationships, there are now websites catering for every possible aspiration, from casual liaisons to long-term partnerships, and for a diverse cross-section of tastes, single-sex relationships to age-gap romance, uniform dating to interracial couples. The prospects are limitless. For any single embarking on a quest to start a meaningful relationship, once they’ve chosen the optimum dating site most likely to satisfy their demands, signing up will allow them to enter an arena where the choice almost seems limitless. With some of the most popular sites commanding global memberships running into millions, the one headache faced by any newcomer searching for a prospective partner is being spoilt for choice.
Ease of communication – pluses and minuses
With the Internet, communication is instant. For any single hoping to get in touch with a potential partner, this makes it a lot easier to strike up a rapport with candidates for romance. After joining the dating site and browsing through the range of available individuals, it becomes very straightforward to get in touch with anyone catching their eye. Because the other site users you are reaching out to have taken the trouble to sign up to this dating resource, they will be in a position of being ready to commit to the process of becoming familiar with someone else. This is in stark contrast to a comparable situation in a social setting, where there may be any amount of distractions.
The downside to this is site users can become easily distracted, and until they strike up a real partnership in this online environment, they might spend some time flitting from one single to the next, resisting the urge to take what are apparently meaningful connections any further. Another drawback with being wholly reliant on text messages is there is more risk of shorthand being misread, leading to a breakdown in communication.
Multicultural connections
One area where the Internet has had a profound impact on modern relationships is where cross-cultural contact is concerned, as cultural and social barriers are broken down. Once upon a time, daters were restricted to a pool of possible partners who were local to them. With dating sites, memberships can span entire continents, and beyond. Someone seeking a partner online could just as readily find themselves chatting to an attractive person in Athens, Greece or Athens, Georgia, in the US south. Web chatting software such as Skype can make it feasible to maintain strong lines of communication for those who choose to go down the international dating route. With the added incentive of cheap travel opportunities, there is no reason why singles who fall for partners from a different timezone can’t eventually arrange face-to-face dates.
