According to Lorraine Kisselburgh in her February 10, 2010 lecture, 75% of internet users have participated in at least one online dating activity. When I really thought about it, that statistic includes me! When I lived in Spain for five months to study abroad, Ben and I maintained a long distance relationship via skype, AIM, and emails. I feel as though even Skyping among people a close distance apart is becoming even more popular.
I think living on a college campus is a whole different situation then what we may face someday. We are surrounded by people our same age who we could potentially marry someday. I know for many people, starting out professionally in a small city presents a variety of new challenges, especially when you haven't found the person you want to marry (pending on if the person even wants to marry of course). I feel as though during that time, young adults might be more inclined to use online dating searches or other online dating activities.
Obviously I've been referring to using computer for dating activity, but I think it's also important to point out how frequently we use them for maintaining relationships between family, friends, and co-workers. I would say I spend 30-60 min (or more) of every day maintaining relationships via facebook, emails, and twitter. I think the computer can serve as a great way to keep in touch, but many times face to face communication is more efficient. And sometimes, things still need to be communicated the old fashion way, through a letter or postcard. This is a picture of me while I was studying abroad in Alicante, Spain. This picture was actually taken in Málaga, Spain on the Southern coast. Despite my frequent uses of Skype to keep in touch with my parents, I sent them a postcard of every city I visited. It probably would have been easier to just update this blog or email them to tell them about each place, but there is nothing like the personal touch of a hands-on postcard.
I'm interested in what others have to say here: Do you think computer mediated communication is sufficient in expressing feelings towards a dating partner? Have you ever pursued a relationship with someone you met online? How do you feel about this new era of using social media to keep up with relationships?
While you were in Spain, we used the internet to communicate a ton. It was a great way to quickly catch up. I definitely enjoyed getting the hand written letters and post cards you sent me way more than an email. I think that it is hard to include the personal meaning in emails and instant messages.
ReplyDeleteTo add to Ben's thoughts, I can look up at the bulletin board and see all your bright colored postcards and instantly think of your trip. Even when that is not what I plan to do as I walk past it. But if it were just emails, it wouldn't be as colorful, and I would have to purposefully access them to read through them again, etc.
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