Ten years ago Internet dating was still seen as a seedy medium for those socially awkward “losers” with lowered expectations and no other choice but the evolving online world. Backs then the people who were brave enough to come out of the online dating closest were met with looks of unsanitary squeamish pity.
Flash-forward to 2014 and online dating is riding the crest of a wave filled with eager surfers looking for that perfect someone special. There are now dozens of sites vying for our attention creating a veritable supermarket of people scouring the online dating aisles. In some cases online dating has worked. People have met their match online but these cases are few and far between.
It all starts easy enough. We create a profile, spend hours sifting through our best photos and writing the best about ourselves in 500 characters or less. Once we are happy with the online versions of ourselves the search begins. We scour the sites until someone catches our eye and then we fret over how not to be too lame or too needy or too much in our first message. If we’re successful and someone takes the bait, a few emails may get exchanged back and forth. Following this exchange we may just get the chance put our best foot forward and meet the fabulous person behind the clever profile.
Following through with an online date isn’t easy. Like the baby turtles you see on the Discovery Channel running along the sand towards the ocean while hungry birds congregate above, not every date born survives and makes it to date night. The most minor complication can easily lead to a swift cancellation because we convince ourselves that we’re too nervous and possibly not really interested after all. All of these things are viable yet lazy reasons when really we are scared that the date could also work. We talk a big game during the emails but we’re not too sure about walking the walk when it comes down to actually getting out there. Asserting ourselves and promising ourselves that we will go through with meeting Mr. or Ms. Looking4the1 is the baby turtle that makes it safely to water.