It’s sort of odd that this thought never occurred to me until very recently, especially considering my general state of life and time-spending and environments and occupation and such, but be that as it may:
I have a higher than average predisposition to meeting my wife via the internet.
Now, let’s be honest here, the stigma that used to be attached to “meeting someone from the internet” is quickly fading into laughable obscurity for all but a select few of the previous generations. I even know one or two folks who seem to be quite happy with their web-based backstory. This is mostly because I am a child of the world wide web generation. I get my entertainment and news from the internet. I shop, buy, and sell goods. And I meet people that I probably never would have met had it not been for (pardon the pun) an internet connection. So this is all well and good and the way of the world on February 15, 2006 at 1:29pm EST.
But a love connection? A real one? A story for the grandkids that begins with, “well, you know kids, your Grandma and I met on the internet”? I really had never thought about it until the past few weeks.
I’m not sure why. It’s certainly not like i’ve actually met anyone recently (internet or otherwise) that made me think, “oh yes, they’ll be just perfect indeed” or anything of the sort. (No, really. Nothing on the love horizon.) Nonetheless, it is now a note to self and I feel somewhat uncomfortable with it. Perhaps it doesn’t quite jive with the mental picture I have of falling in love. Or perhaps i’ve still got a bit of the old guard stigma. Or maybe i’m just really freaked out by the ease of NOT BEING YOURSELF that online life caters to.
I think I think too much.
i think everybody else doesnt think enough
said Austen
at 2:05pm on Wednesday
internet dating cuts out a good deal of awkwardness i think. ichat has replaced the phone. it’s almost easier to be yourself online sometimes and it gives you some ammo to work with once you meet them in person on the first date. i was a little embarassed at first by meeting shell online, for who knows what reason. she never has been. but you’re right about it becoming more and more common. it’s also such an amazing symbol of the times we live in when you think about relating that story to your future grandkids.
said lee
at 2:20pm on Wednesday
Quote: “oh yes, they’ll be just perfect indeed”
I love that. teeehee. I would agree - my status as a web geek makes me pretty comfortable in meeting someone online. But even though everyone sings its praises, I am decidedly uncomfortable with eHarmony and for that matter, the entire proliferation of matching services. Does this make me a prude?
said Brooke
at 3:55pm on Wednesday
Shua, you having a MySpace account makes the chances of this happening even higher.
I’m interested in seeing how all of this evolves. In 10 years will it be “in” to be married because you met someone on MyFace? ..er.. Space.
I have met quite a few of my dotcomrades in person. It’s always interesting when you say, “So, how did you meet?” .. “um.. the internet.” “Ohh… Okkkkay. That’s… um… neat.” Ironically enough, I have found that it’s just the middle-aged people that are weirded out by this. If you were to an elderly couple that you met your bride or whomever online, they would be like “awww!” .. I think that’s because back when they were our age, they wrote letters more to each other than they did anything else. The men were off in war and the women were working or whatever.. Thus, they wrote.
I will say this.. With the popularity of stuff like MySpace, you begin to get more choosy than you would be otherwise. Like, seriously, MySpace has a freaking BROWSE link where you enter this absurd amount of qualities that your mate must have, you hit search, and voila, you are shown all these people who supposedly think the same way as you. And better yet (to the worldly standards) you get to seem them in their undies! .. That’s a whole nother story in itself though..
So, am I pro or con for online dating or whatever? I am neutral. For those who have done it and succeeded (ex: Lee) .. Many kudos to them. For those who have done it and have had it go to waste.. It’s just like any type of relationship.. It either works or it doesn’t.
Am I sad to see that Lee caved? Yes, but he is the man nonetheless. Does he know me? Probably not from Adam. Hi, Lee!
Am I done for now? Yes. Yes, I am.
said Zach
at 4:50pm on Wednesday
we met online, and we are awesome. it must be good for lifelong smoochpals too.
said blaine
at 5:36pm on Wednesday
My sister met her husband on Yahoo chat and 2 years later she was married to an Australian and living in Sydney. From SC to Aussieland in no time.
said Richard
at 5:53pm on Wednesday
Interesting.
said Casey
at 7:42pm on Wednesday
I met my boyfriend on an online first person shooter game. Now I’ll be moving to Texas in June. Yikes!
said Keitha
at 10:40am on Thursday
i can’t say i disagree. & i am with a man i ment on the internet.
‘course, i’m of the theory that meeting someone online with common interests is likened to meeting someone in person with common interests. i have never cared for blind dates (where somebody else assumed we would be a good match so they set us up), so i’m not one who really finds dating websites of any real value.
rather, i met my beau through a common community where we got to observe one another interacting with others & then took it to a more one-on-one basis for exploring a relationship. plus we started as friends. since i’ve met several dotcomrades in person & still maintain good relationships with some of them, it doesn’t freak me out so much.
however, i will say it’s awkward at times to explain “we met on the internet” which mostly conjures up visions of two lascivious & leering individuals who troll for tail on the ‘net. i’m just sayin’.
said sha
at 12:02pm on Friday
It’s okay, Joshua - we live in a world stocked full of mail-order brides, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of that you’re one of them.
said 'netter
at 8:10pm on Monday