Using Cyberspace To Date, Dump
EL PASO, Texas – The world wide web seems to be the place to find new friends and future partners now-a-days. With the help of technology, you can build up a relationship or end it. Growing trends called digital dating and dumping.
“Every day’s been an adventure. We’ve learned so much about each other. We basically know each other like we know ourselves.” a successful story that started nearly a year ago on the social networking site, Myspace.
Fort Bliss soldier Chad Hill explains, “I basically put ‘Hey! How’s it going? My name’s Chad. I’m from El Paso originally. I really like the picture. I really like your profile. I’d like to talk to you more.'”
Dating and technology are not always a good match. There are several groups on social networking site Facebook named ‘I got dumped on Facebook’. One group calls it ‘spineless’.
According to an online dating company which polled about 2,000 of its members, 13 percent changed their status on Facebook from ‘In a Relationship’ to ‘Single’, without telling their partners.
In the same study, one third of respondents said they ended a relationship by email.
That’s “digital dumping,” says Sean Wood, Marketing Manager for ‘Date The UK.’ Wood admits, “Maybe it is sort of a little bit faceless, maybe even cowardly. But at the same time, sometimes people are just not specifically well equipped for dealing with ending a relationship.”
“In most cases when somebody’s trying to break up with somebody, the other party doesn’t want to have that happen and they’d rather have some personal interaction.” Doctor Melissa Nicholson, a relationship counselor in El Paso for 25 years, has seen a dramatic change in her patients.
“In most relationships, technology has had some kind of impact.” She says technology makes it easier to hide and cheat, but also to get caught. She says, “It’s a lot easier to get information now. And before, people could get away with things that they can’t get away with now.”
Dealing with technology and relationships in 2010 isn’t all negative. There are several couples who’ve found a successful balance.
For example, Cynthia and Chad say they just took a leap of faith. “I’m a very shy person,” explains Cynthia Lopez. “So, probably if it wouldn’t have been for Myspace, I don’t know if I would have found a boyfriend.”
“It could be a good or bad thing, just like real world experience. It can go south or it can be the best thing you ever had and I was a big skeptic before hand. I thought, ‘Nobody ever meets online and ends up with a meaningful relationship.'” But Cynthia’s fiance says he proved himself wrong.
Chad and Cynthia have been together for a year and say they plan to get married later this month. One happy ending in a time where technology can help or hurt your heart.
