By Meghan Doyle | Observer Contributor

Image from Pixabay https://pixabay.com/en/man-woman-love-dating-email-949058/
With technology changing the way we go about our daily lives, it seems only natural that it would affect our relationships, and how we form them as well. Dating websites and apps have become increasingly popular over the years, with over one third of marriages starting online, according to an article by “Emerging Technology.” But is swiping right for love changing the way that our society feels and acts in relationships? If so, is it for better, or for worse?
Kerrie Griffin, professor of psychology and sociology at MWCC, stated that the future sociological impacts of online-dating could be, “…anything from increasing single parenting/co-parenting (due to lack of commitment) to decreasing marriage rates, increasing rates of STDs etc. But, on the positive side, maybe the exploration will result in making a more informed choice about marriage, and therefore, decrease divorce rates.”
Various sources agree with what Griffin suggested. In fact, research into the strength of marriage found that young couples who meet online may have a lower rate of divorce than couples who’ve met in traditional manners.
Griffin brings up an important point when it comes to the vast options you have when picking a dating site. “From what I have seen, read, and heard, sites like ‘Tinder’ are more for flings, while sites like ‘Match.com’ are more for people interested in long-term relationships. Essentially, different sites seem to ‘offer’ different opportunities.” Therefore, the intentions of your online-dating experience can depend on what kind of site you’re using and what you’re seeking.
“Overall, I think dating sites can be as helpful in determining what you don’t want in a relationship and what’s not important about a potential mate, just as much as they can make you realize what you do want. So, they may provide a starting point for someone who is trying to figure out love!” Griffin concluded.
MWCC student Catherine Castagnaro has used various dating and online platforms in the past to meet new people, such as OkCupid. On top of the normal problems that you may encounter in a traditional relationship, Castagnaro stresses that meeting someone online can come with its own unique issues, especially if the person you’re seeing online doesn’t live in your area. Things like communication, making the time for each other, and interpreting each other’s messages can be even more difficult when talking to someone online.
“Most relationships will have communication issues at some point,” Castagnaro stated from her experience, “but with online-dating you’re communicating via emails, Skype chat, text, and I suppose old fashion people write letters. The key issue with most of these is when reading we don’t necessarily know how they were supposed to be said.” These misunderstandings can cause confusion and emotional turmoil for couples until, if ever, resolved.
And while Castagnaro has run into the occasional person online who only wanted a hookup/casual relationship, she explained that these people are typically very easily dealt with just by explaining that it’s not what you’re looking for, and in the worst cases there’s always a block button. Even after running into a few individuals like this, Castagnaro believes that there are many online who are sincerely looking for love.
“Though my faith in humanity sways to the lesser side most of the time and on the given day…I think there’s more people that want an actual relationship. The problem I find is a good amount of our generation has anxiety about being themselves, and I believe that keeps us from finding ‘the one.’”
And while she said she wouldn’t go as far as recommending it to a friend, she remains optimistic about her last serious online-dating experience. “I’d still consider the overall experience positive; I grew a lot as a person in that time.”
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