The Internet has replaced the need for cupid. People are moving beyond the physical and into the virtual realm to find their companions.

Online Dating has become the third most popular way to get a date in America.(Thomson) This phenomenon doesn’t seem to be slowing down either. Internet dating and personals websites are growing at a rapid pace. Marriages with couples that met on the Internet are becoming commonplace, and the stigma of online dating has long disappeared. The former ways of meeting a partner at social settings like bars, church, or work are quickly becoming obsolete. The Internet has already started to revolutionize dating in the 21st century. It has been said that online dating is the most significant change in American dating culture since the 1960's. (Vogels)

The internet has become such a popular way to get a date because it offers such a high level of interpersonal communication despite the barrier of physical space. This phenomenon has been magnified by societal changes that make more conventional ways of dating less attractive. By examining the future prediction that websites will combine online and offline services, I aim to prove that online dating is a facilitator of communication only in the beginning of the relationship. Conventional methods of dating will still be necessary if a relationship is to work out in the long term.

To fully understand the above thesis, I have divided my website into four main sections. The first section provides an overview of the online dating phenomenon. To accomplish this I have provided an industry analysis, information on who is logging on, and information on why people log on. The second part of my project is a balanced approach to explain the effect of online dating on interpersonal communication. The third part of my project focuses on current trends in the online dating industry, and how experts like myself see them changing. The fourth and final section is all about you, the surfer! I will give you tips and links to help you navigate through the 844 internet dating websites currently available (Gregg)