By AbigaiL Koller
Contributing Writer
It seems as though everywhere you go people are constantly on their smart phones and tablets, but have you ever wondered what those people are doing? The majority of them are probably casually surfing the web, Facebook, or, in today’s day and age, even setting up a date. People everywhere are dipping their toes into the online dating world and expanding their opportunities to meet more people than they normally would. But there are some who still feel like online dating is considered “nerdy.” Is it really?
Online dating has gotten a reputation. You always hear that those who use online dating are nerdy, socially awkward, desperate, and unable to communicate effectively under pressure, but who’s right is it to say who is and is not nerdy?
Nerdy, by definition, is someone who is “a foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious.” Not everyone on eHarmony or Match.com can be characterized this way. The people that use these sites are teenagers, just like you and me, or your everyday average Joe.
So who really uses online dating, if it’s not the stereotypical nerds? Research from the Pew Research Center shows that there is a decent percentage of people ages 18-24 years old who have used online dating, and the percentages only go up from there. To scare you even more, 5 percent of Americans who are married or in committed relationships met their significant other online.
A 2005 survey showed that many people thought that online dating was a good way to meet people, but that it was also for desperate people. When the same survey was given in 2013, the numbers went up significantly, showing that more people seemed open to the idea of online dating as a whole. It may not seem like a lot of time has passed, but eight years is a lot of time for technological and societal changes.
Online dating has become so mainstream that it seems like everyone is doing it. More people join these sites every day and are meeting people who they normally wouldn’t have the chance to. Some people use online dating because they may be too shy to walk up to a normal person on the street and introduce themselves like some outgoing people would.
Other people use it as a way to expand their options and meet other people who are similar to them. Since it has become such a casual thing, I don’t feel it could ever be classified as nerdy ever again.
However, online dating has a greater demographic than just adults. The teenage population seems to be dependent upon social media and the internet to survive. Many college students are downloading and making their profiles on Tinder and various other “matching” sites.
The thing is, do teenagers consider that online dating? Some may use these outlets to find something other than a relationship, but in reality, they are online dating. I’m sure the majority of people on Tinder would not consider themselves nerdy.
Beyond teenagers, even celebrities have tried online dating! US Weekly (apparently) stated that there are few known celebrities who have dabbled in the online dating world, like Halle Berry, Lily Allen, Adele, and even Ashton Kutcher. If even celebrities utilize this tool, why shouldn’t we? If these celebrities, who rule the Kingdom of Hollywood and are idolized by many, reach out to these sites, why can’t an average person?
More or less, whether we like it or not, society is changing. Ten years ago, most people wouldn’t have even considered joining an online dating website. Now, it is easy to see that it is socially acceptable and part of many people’s daily lives. So whether a person is looking for a quick fling or a long-term relationship, it is much more common these days for a person to find what they are looking for online.
