Online Dating
Online dating is the "use of websites that provide a database of potential partners--typically in close geographical proximity--that one can browse and contact, generally for a fee." [1] Popular examples of online dating websites include Match.com, eHarmony.com, okCupid.com, and plentyOfFish.com.
Online dating sites are characterized by the use of online profiles and recommender systems.
Profiles
Popular Use
Relationships formed through online dating sites do not always constitute a romantic one, and if they are, do not always progress solely through virtual processes.
Ethical Implications
In 2010, Carole Markin sued Match.com, an online dating site, for failing to have background check on its users. On a date arranged through the site, she was sexually assaulted by a registered sex offender, Alan Paul Wurtzel [2]. The court case brought up issues of relationships facilitated through online interactions, specifically about the anonymity and deceitful techniques of users.
Various critics, including Luddites, have focused on online dating sites as evidence of the deteriorating morals of human relationships caused by technology. Some arguments include that online dating sites seek to commodify human intimacy, and reduce the sanctity of love to something that can be advertised, bought and found through a search engine. [1]
References
1. Sautter, 2010, p. 555
2. Williams, 2011, Los Angeles Times
