Finding love online – Is it still a taboo?

In an age where we share the details of our everyday lives with our friends and followers, why are some of us still embarrassed to admit that we’re looking for love? That we’re actually not that contentedly single? If you were to select five of my Facebook friends, I could probably tell you their sleeping patterns, their favourite restaurants, the details of their last break ups, and how they deal with hangovers. And yet, I wouldn’t be able to tell you if any of them used online dating sites.

One in five relationships start online. That means a huge number of us are using online dating sites to meet potential partners. Love is a huge part of our lives. We watch films about it, we read books about it, and we listen to songs about it. Why then, are we ashamed to discuss our methods of finding it or, when we bring it up, does it have to descend into an instant rebuttal of lolz?

The Perception of Online Dating

There’s no doubt times are changing; Tinder is connecting us with people we already know, we’re tweeting hilarious online dating anecdotes that unfortunately only really depict the downside of finding love online. What we’re forgetting is that those negative incidents would probably have happened whether we were dating online or having dinner with that bloke we met in a bar but can’t quite remember. Having spoken to a number of friends about this, it seems that despite its success there is still a stigma attached to online dating. Those who have never tried it assume it’s full of undesirables who lack the necessary social skills required to meet someone in the real world, and those that have tried it are so afraid to be put in this category by their peers that it has to be just for jokes.

The more I think about it, the more I realise how ludicrous it is. Walking into a bar on a Friday night is not all that different from logging on to a dating site. You’re faced with a selection of strangers, who may or may not be exactly what you’re looking for. You exchange the obligatory pleasantries, you discuss your interests, your job, your life ambitions. Essentially, you’re dancing the same dance, just to a different song.

The Future of Dating

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram - they’ve given us the need for urgency. We want to connect with people we think are probably a bit cool as soon as possible, in the easiest way possible. With that in mind, surely online dating is the future of dating? It allows you to browse profiles quickly and chat instantly wherever you are, whatever you’re doing. Unlike walking into a bar, with the click of a button you can filter your matches based on age, location and even interests! You’ll never have to go on a date with Miley Cyrus’s biggest fan again!

When you’re ready to shed your online dating fears, why not try Independent Dating to take the hassle free route to finding love? You can send an ice breaker to everyone our site thinks you’ll enjoy getting cosy with, and you have as much space as you like to tell everyone about exactly what you’re looking for. Best of all, we’re not afraid to talk about it. And, with our local search tool, the chances are your next date isn’t quite as far away as you think.