With the explosion of online dating in the past couple of years, has it really changed the mindsets of how what we consider to still be a taboo subject?
Many of my friends have dived deep into the oceans of Plenty of Fish and come up with a few shark bites, but is this new way of finding a mate the real deal or quality simply a fad?
When you get to a certain age, post 26 usually, the relentless roaring into a perspective suitors drunken ear can get a little annoying to say the least. “So why not give the online dating thing a go” gets thrown around in the various chit-chat over a Starbucks… and indeed many have! Thousands of Irish people are flocking to the online nightclubs like no tomorrow. Gone are the days of “eh, say we met in a pub” and in true liberal spirit “oh yeah, we met online” is firmly in the lexicon.
I’m happy to see it. Why on earth anyone is embarrassed to say they met online is beyond me. Whenever I meet a happily married couple of twenty odd years, my judgment isn’t altered by how they met. As more of more people join these sites, the “unqueness of how and where they met” are quickly wearing off.
When contacted by TheLiberal.ie, these online daters had the following to say:
Sarah, 37, Dublin –
I think it’s an innovative way to meet new people, it certainly beats the pub and club scene.
Dave, 22, Cork –
Yeah I gave it a go just because I heard my friends on about it, I actually went out with a girl for a few months after meeting her on a dating site.
Katrina, 31, Mullingar –
I was skeptical but I decided there was no harm just creating a profile. To my surprise I made some really good friends out of it!
Francis, 40, Kerry –
I ended up having a three year relationship with a lady I met online, I say three year because the forth year we got married! I’d recommend it, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
James, 26, Dublin –
I’m really enjoying the banter, it’s definitely the new way to date.
The upsides are that rather than having to think on the spot in reality, you can take your time with a poised approach. You’ll more than likely at least get your email read and if it’s worthy of a reply, that will come too. The downsides however are that you predominantly must have your gorgeous self up for all to see, you’ve to convey how wonderful, funny, thoughtful and intelligent you are in three to four paragraphs. You must also remember that girls get inundated with emails, research has shown they receive literally at least 25 times as many emails as men do.
So to sum it up… go fish! Just keep an eye out for those Catfish!