Long Reads #12

Thanks to a spotlight by Byliner, these week(s) articles are focused on relationships (mainly online dating :p)

Love in the time of no time by Jennifer Egan - Even if I didn't see the published date of 2003, it's easy to tell this article is a little dated; after all, it speaks of Friendster as "recent". Which means that what this article depicts may be really different from what's going on now. But basically, the message is: online dating is getting less and less stigma-lised. And I suppose that it has continued to do so. I can't tell though, I've never used any of those sites.

How Do I Love Thee by Lori Gottlieb - This article takes an in-depth look at dating sites. From what I see, they all emphasize on being scientific. What I'm wondering at this point of time is - doesn't anyone have any hobbies? Or do they just go out to work, go to drink and then go home. Maybe they should join a club or something.

Is Online Dating Destroying Love? by Stuart Deffries - A recent article (published in Feb) looking at a negative effect of the rise in online dating - the rise in casual sex. Enough reason for me not to go onto any online sites, no matter how desperate I may get in the future. And this is unrelated, but I thought the humour in the article was appropriate and a nice touch.

Casting the Net from The Caravan - This article focuses on online dating in India. It was quite interesting, especially looking at how firms had to greatly adapt their model to this new market. Hmm.... apart from India, what about Japan? I haven't met any, but I've heard about hikikomori, people who just stay in their room and don't go out. But then again, most people here seem really sociable....

Adventurous SWF Seeking Soul Mate Gets Hottie (And Bothered) by Rachel Lehmann-Haupt - This last article is a personal account of the author's attempt to find love through online dating. It doesn't look good for technology, seeing as that by the end of the article, she met her boyfriend with absolutely no help from the online dating site. And by the way, what does SWF mean?

So, what interesting articles did you read this week?