Sources for Final Assignment

Sources:
1. Friedman, Megan. "How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Tweet The Ways - 10 Ideas That Will Change the World
- TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews -  TIME.com. 17 Mar. 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2059521_2059716_2059709,00.html>
Thesis and key quote: "Yet technology can smooth the course of true love, whether it helps find it, nurture it or, if need be, end it."


The argument was supported by telling how technology makes it easier to find love. It states that the internet cuts out the small talk. It also talks about how you can be picky with the different people and look them up online before you really decide to talk to them. In addition, it talks about how online dating makes dating easier for people who do not have a lot of free time.

"Before you even go on your first date, you can Google and Facebook your potential love to your heart's content to make sure she's not hiding any skeletons."


"Technology just cuts out the small talk, letting you know if your partner is the right one for you."

2.Baker, Brandon. "Brandon Baker: Use of Online Dating Sites Makes Ritual Less Romantic." The Temple News. 22 Mar. 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://temple-news.com/2011/03/22/brandon-baker-use-of-online-dating-sites-makes-ritual-less-romantic/>.
3. Pracz, Alyssa. "Internet Dating Has More Potential Risks than Benefits - Northern Star Online: Columnists." Northern Star Online: The Future of News Now. 22 Mar. 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://northernstar.info/opinion/columnists/article_1e6b893e-54f0-11e0-ab2c-0017a4a78c22.html>


Thesis and Key Quote: "Just because you can now shop, order food, work and talk to your friends online does not mean you should also start using the Internet for dating."


This article says that the internet dating is overrated and is unsafe.It states that most people lie about their height, income, sexuality, and they use misleading pictures of themselves. The article goes on to state that people might not be that concerned about your income, but they will be upset that you were lying to them from the very beginning of the relationship and it will be hard to establish trust in the relationship. The article presents an example of internet dating gone wrong, where a woman is scammed out of money, as another reason people should stick to face-to-face interaction. It also says that dating online can be the cause of mixed signals because you cannot read the other person's body language or facial expressions.


" But in a world that is becoming increasingly reliant on technology and communication happens less and less in real life, the traditional way of meeting people remains to be the best way to form long-lasting, meaningful romantic relationships."


"The whole idea of dating someone is to get to know that person well enough to establish a real connection that could possibly develop into a relationship."


4. Yadegaran, Jessica. "Study Says Cyberspace Is Segregated, but Interracial Couples Still Thrive."Vancouver Sun. 21 Mar. 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Study says cyberspace segregated interracial couples still thrive/4477262/story.html>
5. Rivas, Jorge. "Cyber Dating: Whites Get Messages; Blacks and Latinos Get Split Verbs."COLORLINES. 16 Mar. 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/03/online_dating_users_like_to_flirt_with_their_own_kind.html>.
6. Zyga, Lisa. "Online Dating: Where Technology and Evolution Collide." PhysOrg.com - Science News, Technology, Physics, Nanotechnology, Space Science, Earth Science, Medicine. 26 June 2008. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://www.physorg.com/news133696958.html>
7. "The Evolution of Dating: Match.com and Chadwick Martin Bailey Behavioral Studies Uncover a Fundamental Shift." The CMB Research Blog. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://blog.cmbinfo.com/press-center-content/bid/46915/The-Evolution-of-Dating-Match-com-and-Chadwick-Martin-Bailey-Behavioral-Studies-Uncover-a-Fundamental-Shift>
8. "About EHarmony -- #1 Trusted Relationship Site." EHarmony #1 Trusted Singles Online Dating Site – More than Personals. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://www.eharmony.com/about/eharmony>
9. "About Match.com Dating." Match.com® | The Leading Online Dating Site for Singles & Personals. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://www.match.com/help/aboutus.aspx?lid=4>
10. Taussig, Alex. "Why Isn't Higher Education More like Online Dating? - Fortune Finance." Fortune Finance: Hedge Funds, Markets, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity, Venture Capital, Wall Street, Washington. 21 Mar. 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03/21/why-isnt-higher-education-more-like-online-dating/?section=magazines_fortune>

The Internet's Impact on the Dating World

The article “Digital Dating and Virtual Relating: Conceptualizing Computer Mediated Romantic Relationships” talks about the internet’s “striking evolution from its modest beginnings in the 1960s as a medium to connect academic institutions and eventually American defensive facilities in the event of war.” “What was once understood as a valuable component of American national security has blossomed into an international social microcosm, where online communities are created, social networks thrive, business transactions occur, future marital partners are found…” (Wysocki). The internet has truly changed, or evolved, from what it was first meant to be. It can accomplish so much more than what was originally thought.

The article’s main point is to show the different ways that technology is influencing how people relate to one another in building romantic relationships. Also, the article introduces computer mediated relationships, or CMRs, by providing the history of the internet, explaining the difference between CMRs and face-to-face relationships, explaining the trouble that practitioners might have with this new generation of relationships and things they need to look for, and it suggests that further research be done on the topic. The author supports the claim about practitioners by stating, “family professionals should be aware that those who primarily engage in CMR may lack the life skills necessary to maintain a long-term face-to-face or marital relationship” (Merkle 2000). The claim about the history of the internet it supported by the facts stated about the Cold War and by telling that, in the year the article was published, more than half of the households in the US had at least one computer in their homes. The statement, “…it is probably not surprising that, in many respects, such relationships [CMR’s] could be viewed as being at variance with the face-to-face relationship because they represent a developmental and behavioral sequence far removed from customary methods of finding attraction and intimacy with another person.” supports the claim about face-to-face relationships and CMRs. Some quotes that I think will be beneficial to me in the future are:

“As Western society continues to accelerate its pace, free time becomes more of a scarcity, and individuals strive to balance multiple roles and responsibilities, people are finding themselves thrust into a position where they must find non-conventional avenues for social interaction such as the Internet” (Merkle 1999).

“Relationships that previously were established and sustained primarily through face-to-face interaction have come to be complemented by a social technology that is creating a new genre of interpersonal relationships.”

and

“Americans are, in general, a very affable people who are among the most technology-loving cultures in the world. Because of this mutual interest in technology and socializing, he believes that American Internet users have exploited the Internet (as well as other modern technological devices) as a social medium as much as a technological innovation.”

Merkle, E. R. and Richardson, R. A. (2000), Digital Dating and Virtual Relating:

Conceptualizing Computer Mediated Romantic Relationships. Family Relations, 49: 

187–192. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3729.2000.00187.x

Merkle, E. R. (1999) Romance in the era of technology: An examination of the effects of

propinquity and self-disclosure on intimacy within computer mediated relationships. Unpublished master's thesis. Kent State University.

Wysocki, D. K. (1998) Let your fingers do the talking: Sex on an adult chatline. 

Sexualities, 1, 425–452.

Catfish

After watching the movie Catfish, I found it very odd that Nev did not find it strange that everyone had the same 15 friends. Angela created 16 profiles. I assuming that each of those 16 profiles had many, if not all, of the same 15 friends. I would have found it strange. When someone adds me on Facebook and they do not have very many friends, I tend to see that as a red flag. Not that there aren’t people who do not have a lot of Facebook friends, but I find it unusual that someone I do not know that only has 35 friends would also know me, a girl from a small town and a small private school. Maybe Nev was not thinking this way (but I bet he does now). Maybe Angela added random people on Facebook to get her friend count up on the different profiles. If she did, however, she risked her lie being found out. If she friended someone who actually knew the girl in the picture she used, she would have been found out.

I do not feel that Nev necessarily had to be desperate, lonely, or desperately lonely for him to like Angela’s “daughter.” He did not go out intending to find a girl to love on Facebook. But even if he did, so what!? We cannot control whom we love or how we fall in love. I do not think it is fair to label him in these ways. Just because he was attractive, it does not mean that the women he attracted were what he wanted in a companion. Attractive people do not meet other attractive people and say, “Hey, let’s fall in love because we’re both very attractive.” Attractive people are looking for substance just like most other people. There are plenty of good-looking single people in the world. There are also plenty of good-looking people on online dating sites. I do not see anything wrong with that. If the people you have met and who you are around do not meet your standards, why settle for less? I would rather find love online than never find love at all. I am not saying trust everyone you meet online blindly because that just does not make sense. Use discretion. Nev probably thought he was doing so, but because Angela’s story was so elaborate, he just got caught up in it.

Random Thought

I always write my blog posts in Microsoft Word before I post them on here, and I have noticed that Word recognizes the word MySpace, but not the word Facebook. I just found it ironic that the platform that is no longer used is the one that Microsoft recognizes as a legitimate word. Below is an example from my blog post last week: