Technology has changed pretty much every aspect of people’s lives, including their dating lives. Whereas would-be daters were once at the mercy of chance meetings and introductions by friends and family, online dating sites have broken the dating world wide open.

There are niche dating sites, technology integrations, and even some ghosting going on, all because technology makes it possible. If you’re about to navigate the world of dating in the age of technology, here are some things you’ll want to know about how technology has changed dating.

Access and Integration

According to Tinder Founder Jonathan Bade in an article on The Huffington Post (found here), technology has opened up the world in a way that few could have imagined. Not only can online daters connect via dating sites, like Tinder but they can then connect with each other via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tinder itself allows daters to link their dating profiles to both Instagram and Spotify.

The result of such integration could create better matches for daters in the future. Because people already post their likes and dislikes on these sites, this information could be used in the client’s dating profile to ensure a better match.

Additionally, Ask Men points out that technology has encouraged would-be daters to check out their dates before the date actually happens. While jokes about Facebook and Twitter stalking abound, the reality is many people do look up their “love interests” on social media before they date them.

Niche Dating Sites

Like any other industry, the online dating industry has a number of niche dating websites. This makes it easier for people in a particular demographic to connect with each other. Just what kind of niche dating sites can you find? Quite a number of them, according to Mental Floss (found here). There are farmers only and special needs dating sites (like one found here). You can also find websites for wine lovers and vegetarians, as well as for Star Trek and My Little Pony fans.

While niche daters often have to visit a small, niche website to find their true loves, many mainstream dating sites, like Match.com or Zoosk have sub-categories for niche daters.

For example, although Match.com isn’t one of the special needs dating sites per se, those with special needs can make a match on such a site. It is, therefore, beneficial for those looking to date within a specific niche to check out both niche sites and non-niche sites to find their romantic match.

Connection Changes

Although online dating has its advantages, there are some significant disadvantages, too, according to an article on the Forbes website (found here). For one thing, many would-be daters spend more time texting than they do dating. Text-flirting has become the first date in many cases. Additionally, technology has encouraged people to be a bit lazy when it comes to communicating with a possible love interest. Instead of chatting, the messages that come through very often are just a “hey…”

If you want to avoid some of the common texting pitfalls, you can check out our article discussing that very topic right here!

On the flip side, technology may bridge the gap for couples, especially those who are in long-distance relationships, according to CNN. Many couples will use technologies, like Skype or Google Hangouts to connect with a long-distance love. And email contact, even in the early stages of dating, has become more prevalent. Many times, a guy will ask a girl for her email before he asks her for her phone number. Under old dating etiquette rules, this would have been a no-no, but it’s normal nowadays.

Technology does have another big downside: It has also encouraged people to continue to look for greener pastures because there’s always someone else to date on a dating site. Instead of developing compassion for someone after an awkward exchange, which is often just caused by nervousness, many daters just move on to the net person. This is where shady dating practices, like ghosting or benching (more info here), become prevalent. Technology makes it too easy to move on without a trace.

Final Thoughts

Dating has always been a bit challenging. And while technology has made it easier than ever to meet new people, it has also presented daters with some unforeseen drawbacks, too. Dating practices, like benching and ghosting, have become common.

Even more common nowadays is the prevalence of texting and emailing in the early stages of dating. Face-to-face meetings happen less often in many cases, with some potential love matches never even getting past the texting stage. While technology adds many advantages to dating, it also brings many drawbacks with it, too.