Match.com launched their annual LoveGeist report today and it found that they traditional blind date has fallen out of fashion and fully researching your date before meeting them has taken its place.
Relationships on Female First
A tiny 3 per cent of people have been on a blind date in the last five years with a massive 62 per cent of people saying they now choose to research their date before they meet.
This rises to 71 per cent between the ages of 18 to 24 as their tech savvy ways allow them to use all the latest online technology to get the most information on a potential date.
So what exactly are we looking for? It appears that having a boat load of cash and devilishly good looks aren’t of much importance.
We’re seeking good humour, compatibility, values and intelligence when we take to the internet to source information about our date.
It’s obvious that technology is the biggest drive in this change, only 3 per cent of 18-24 year olds have been on a blind date yet 36 per cent of them have used online dating.
In contrast, 29 per cent of over 55’s said they had been on a blind date in the past but they also took to more modern forms of dating in recent years.
A first date consisting of ice-breakers and small talk are now a thing of the past, with daters wanting to know the important details about their potential date beforehand.
We are now less likely to take a chance on a date, preferring to know they are a sure thing beforehand. This comes as no surprise in the recession, especially since the average singleton will spend £32.58 on pre-date preparations alone.
For those who didn’t meet on a dating site, the most popular form of gathering pre-date information was to go on Facebook.
A large 71 per cent of singles admitted to Facebook stalking a potential date, with a further 30 per cent using Google and 20 per cent utilising Twitter.
Kate Taylor, relationship expert at match.com, said, “Technology has changed the way we date in many important ways. With so much information about potential partners right at our finger tips, whether it’s on our online dating profiles or another social network, it’s understandable that we don’t want to leave who we date up to chance.
“As we wave goodbye to the blind date, it’s clear that people are investing their time more carefully into picking a partner, and that researching a date online before you meet up so you feel comfortable that the conversation won’t dry up is a refreshing addition to modern dating.”