With the advent of the Internet, dating sites, texting booty calls, IM chat, free Internet porn and hooking up, I have to wonder: Is the art of courting dead? I am hearing more and more from women who are sick of online dating that the Internet is killing romance. Is courtship dying?
Do men still buy a lady a drink in a lounge any more? Or do they just count how many brews a gal knocks back and then wait by the front door to try to score?
Do men still buy ladies flowers, candy or call a week in advance to ask her out for a date the following Saturday night (instead of calling and asking,"What are you doing right now?") ?
Do people date any more, or do they just want to hook up for sex?
Is it so easy to meet people, have indiscriminate sex and go to the next easy conquest that people just don't care about really connecting in a meaningful, long term relationship?
Has the Internet guaranteed the extinction of long term relationships, marriage and real connection in favor of wham bam thank you ma'am?
I am noticing the dating dynamics between men and women changing. Instead of working out the speed bumps of relationship and honoring commitment, it seems to be much easier just to go back online and find someone else. Ninety day relationships are jettisoned at the first site of conflict between a couple. When the bloom is off the rose, the garden goes to till different ground.
The Internet is a huge hunting ground for men and women; that is for sure. But I am seeing a lot of QUANTITY out there online vs QUALITY and have been disappointed more often than not when I meet someone on an Internet blind date and figure out that he wants to "cut to the chase" and get sexual real fast. Gee, buddy...don't you even want to know my last name?
The "instant gratification era" is upon us. People are becoming as disposable as tissue paper.
So, my question is: Are we better off with the Internet as a resource for finding love and happiness, or not? Does it just mean that now we can see how many millions of frogs we have to kiss to find our prince (or princess) or do we just not care to find anyone long term any more? Has it just become about hooking up, getting off and moving on?
What say you all? I am sure by now we all have stories to tell, both positive and negative about online dating. Frankly, I am tired of this never ending job interview for which there seems no position to fill, except for temp work.
