There has been a dramatic boom in the online dating industry over the past couple of years. With adverts being pushed in my face every time I connect to the internet and successful online dating stories being splashed across hundreds of magazines, I have been wondering if I’m missing something here?

Relationships on Female First

Relationships on Female First



I started to look up dating sites and found a lot more than I bargained for. One of them made it clear they had “loads of ‘good quality’ singles, with photos”. So what makes a good quality single? Who decides if you are ‘good quality’?

Another site was matching people on their sexual preferences and one even boasted they had the highest amount of married men and women seeking an affair.

There were dating sites for basically everything: black people, white people, gay people, sugar daddies, international ‘hook ups‘, Jewish people, Christian people, older dating, interracial dating and even one for people who don‘t smoke and love the environment, the list just went on and on.

It then dawned on me, while I have been meeting men in bars, clubs, through my classes and through my friends, there was a whole world of people that were looking online for anything from a one night stand to marriage.

I suddenly felt I had been transported to an episode of Futurama and had missed the memo about this crazy new world, where you can literally select people to fit your preferences, similar to choosing what dress you want out of a catalogue.

Over 5 years the number of people using online dating websites has increased by 100% and so I set about to find out what people thought about online dating.

One man told me: “I would absolutely use online dating and I have done previously. It is a great way to meet woman.”

Looking through women’s profiles I found that most of them looked, well normal. I was expecting to see hundreds and thousands of women being surrounded by cats and looking a bit deranged but instead I saw loads of attractive and in a lot of cases successful women.

This reminded me of one of the women I had spoken to previously, she was attractive, successful and had a large social network. She told me: “It is really hard to meet someone when you work long hours. I use online dating to boost my confidence and find casual dates. I’m not sure I would ever go in with the intention of a long relationship though.”

Another girl, said: “The internet is becoming widely used and online dating seems like a natural progression. It is just becoming one of a very long list of ways to meet people. As long as you’re careful and safe, I’d consider it.”



Online dating can even put you on the fast track to getting hitched, AnsonAlex.com claimed that people who meet online get married on average 23.5 months quicker than those who meet in the ‘real world’.



With online dating developing in a way that catapults us into a futuristic dating world, where we can narrow down potential dates to such a degree, it is no surprise so many of us are joining the trend. For now though, I think I’ll stick to hoping my friends will introduce me to somebody who can get my heart racing and fireworks sparking.

Make sure you're always safe when looking for love online, do not give out personal details such as your home or work address until you know someone properly (and in person) and always have your first date in a public place.


by for relationships.femalefirst.co.uk