subject: Dating in the Digital World: How Social Media has Changed Everything [print this page] Dating in the Digital World: How Social Media has Changed Everything
Dating used to be composed of meeting someone in person or being set up on the dreaded blind date and seeing if it works out in private. These days however, we are dating in the digital world and social media has changed everything. From how people find out about a person to airing all the relationship details online, here are a few different ways that social media has changed dating:
The blind date isn't that blind anymore. If someone's Facebook profile isn't completely set to private for example, another person can see limited to full details about that person. This means that when going on a blind date, details such as where a person works, information about past relationship and their interests may already be known by the other person.
You'll come in contact with people who your friends are friends with but that you don't personally know. Rather than you being attracted to a friend of a friend at a social gathering, you could actually meet and get to know people on social media accounts completely online.
If you're interested in someone, you can find out if they are single, married, divorced and whether or not they have any children very easily if they make that information available.
If you or another person opts to show their relationship status, then everyone that can see the profile will know if you've broken up recently or got involved in a new relationship.
If you or someone else is having problems in their relationship and you update your status to reflect that, then you are sharing that information with anyone and everyone who can see it.
When it comes down to it, social media and digital dating has taken a lot of the element of surprise out of dating and relationships. To some, this may be a good thing but to others, it can be disappointing. Social media and dating also opens up some potential for danger since you may be dealing with people who you have never met in person.
