Modern, weird and no less depressing than actually meeting real people, could online dating be the future? By Harry Slater.
Internet dating is modern, which also means it is very odd. Whilst some see it as natural in the digital age, others consider it creepy, desperate, and demoralising. If you don’t have an opinion on it, congratulations are in order. Clearly your needs are being satisfied. You’re a long way from the lonely web junkies, or super savvy romantics, view them as you will.
There are as many dating sites as there are fish in the sea. There are exotic ones (mainly Brazilian dancing girls), poisonous ones (every fetish you can think of), and then there’s your bog standard cod and chips, like eHarmony. I set up a profile there because it made me feel less desperate ... and I totally forgot about the delights of Uniform Dating. I said less desperate, not less creepy.
The glorious thing about dating sites is that they do the tiresome getting to know you part for you. It’s far quicker than going out and meeting people. Plus, because the site matches you with people that you share vaguely similar traits with, there won’t be a soul-destroying moment when the disclosure of one little detail ruins everything. Oh, and because it’s all online, you can do it in your pants.
After a week, eHarmony had found me two potential brides (I’m in this for the long-haul). 19-year-old Sara from Peterborough. She likes motorbikes, a lot, and eats to “stay alive”. Very sensible. The other, Jade from Cliftonville, is 27. Like me, she’s genuine (apparently). Unlike me, she has a kid. After eight days, my matches disappeared, which isn’t dissimilar from reality. We talk for a bit but then she has to wash her hair, every day for the next decade.
It seems patience is key; you can’t hurry love etc etc. Most importantly: 6ft, kind but disenchanted guy seeks likeminded anyone for anything anytime. Please, someone?
If you are interested in online dating, here are a few websites to try: eHarmony, Match and Meet My Match.