Online dating, or, as it is sometimes called, internet dating, is a way to meet individuals via the internet.
Prospective single individuals will join an online dating service, usually for a monthly fee, where they will fill out a questionnaire about their likes and dislikes. They then upload their photograph, and can view photos of other single individuals with the same likes, chat by e-mail or via an instant messaging system, then agree to meet for a date. If the date works out, they keep dating. There are tens of thousands of individuals that find that someone special and get married.
In 2005, over £500 million was spent on individuals joining online dating services, with the number expected to be over £930 million by the end of 2011.
Currently there are over 800 online sites, and with so many sites available, some even cater for specific dating groups, such as Christian and gay dating. There are even dating sites geared to the working professional, the senior citizens, and to specific geographic locations, such as London’s singles or Ireland’s singles.
With internet dating being so popular, it has now found its way into mainstream movies.
The 2005 movie, “Must Love Dogs”, starring Diane Lane, is about a 40 something divorcee looking to find love through online dating, and the 2007 movie, ‘Because I Said So”, starring Diane Keaton, and Mandy Moore, is about an overbearing mother who secretly creates an online dating profile for her recently single daughter.
With so many people looking for and sometimes finding that someone special online, it is easy to see why dating online has become so popular.