Love in the age of the internet

Spektrum der Wissenschaft

7.3.2020

Translation: machine translated

Most couples in the USA now meet on the internet. This was reported by researchers led by Michael Rosenfeld from Stanford University in California.

They analysed data from two large, representative studies in which the participants stated, among other things, how and where they had met their current or most recent partner. When analysing the data, Rosenfeld and his colleagues focused primarily on the responses of people who were in heterosexual relationships.

The result: Family members and friends were once the most important matchmakers. Around 1980, just under 35 per cent of all heterosexual couples were introduced to each other through mutual friends, and just under 20 per cent of people met their partner through parents or siblings. However, their influence began to wane from 1995 onwards. At the same time, the number of couples who met on the internet increased; from 2007 onwards, this development was fuelled by the use of smartphones. In 2013, the World Wide Web finally overtook friends and family as a source of love.

In 2017, almost 40 per cent of US couples met online via Facebook or apps such as Tinder - usually without a third party as an intermediary. The number of people who meet their partner for the first time in the neighbourhood, school, church or at work is also on the decline. Follow-up studies have shown that this does not affect the stability of the relationship.

There are various reasons for the triumph of online dating. For example, the internet offers a larger pool of potential partners than the social environment - which is an advantage if you are looking for someone special. Online platforms also make it possible to get to know each other from a safe distance. If the chat partner doesn't meet your expectations in the end, you can end the relationship quickly.

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