Why Online Dating Is Like Window Shopping For Humans

In the current dating world, people looking for love have grown accustomed to avoiding conventional dating methods. Those looking for love have adopted technology to look for the person they want for themselves. Given this, you may wonder why many people are avoiding traditional ways of looking for love and are trying out dating sites.

The answer to your question is simple. Many people are occupied in their daily lives. Those working in the corporate scene hardly ever have an opportunity to look for love since they are always at work. The same goes for those in school or even in non-corporate jobs.

With the strong policies in institutions against romantic relationships in the workplace, the reasonable choice would be to delegate the responsibility of looking for love to a third party, the dating site.

However, many have argued that online dating is just like window shopping for humans.

What on earth is window shopping for humans?

When talking about window shopping for humans, the term is figurative. No one is buying other people like chattels in the 1700s using dating sites. Simply put, the term window shopping for humans alludes to the practice of going to shops, looking at the merchandise on display, and going away without really committing to a purchase.

Many users of dating sites have adopted a similar practice when using dating sites. They only go on one of the best matchmaking service applications and look around before logging off and repeating the cycle in the future.

How does online dating resemble window shopping?

In case you need proof of the similarities between online dating and window shopping, here are a few pointers:

Profile curation

You must first put your login information and descriptions on a dating site. These include general bio information like name, age, sex, and in some instances, race.

However, things get deeper after this. The site asks for personal information like sexual preferences, preferences on drinking and smoking, games and hobbies, and musical interests, among others.

This is similar to your shopping list when you leave your house for window shopping. Some online dating platforms like these have adopted a dating resume model for clients where they can make a resume that describes them for new dating prospects.

Endless swiping

Most online dating platforms use the swiping feature or its variant. In swiping, when a user swipes right, they indicate that they like the person. When they swipe left, it suggests that they do not like the other person. However, the process is non-committal.

When you swipe right, showing your interest in another person, it does not indicate that you have committed to a relationship with them. Instead, it only means that you are interested in their profile.

This is similar to window shopping in that when you shop, you simply move around the stalls and identify an object you like. After identifying the object, you only tell yourself or your friends that you like it, but you do not attempt to buy it, and neither are you obliged to. You can decide to buy it later.

Catfishing

The term "catfish" is popular among dating sites. The term refers to an individual who makes a false profile intending to trick an unwitting user into a date with them or for other fraudulent purposes.

The main aim of a catfish is to misrepresent themselves for fraudulent purposes. While many dating sites have tried to eliminate catfishing through mandatory verification protocols, some unscrupulous people still exploit the systems' inadequacies to continue catfishing.

Catfish exploit the fact that it is difficult to verify the identity of another individual in the online dating arena without having to meet them or at least share contact information.

This is similar to window shopping in that window shoppers cannot verify an item's quality on display without going into the store and checking out the things they saw. All you may have to rely on before buying the item is the impression the store gives and its descriptions.

Therefore, you must interact with the goods first before getting them.

Is online dating all bad?

Despite all the bad things associated with online dating, online dating is not as bad as it is presented to be. There are many things about online dating that are desirable, such as the control and agency one has over their dating life, the ease of finding a suitable partner, and the friendships you can get even when you do not fall in love with a dating site.

Therefore, if you are worried that the online shopping aspect of online dating could be disadvantageous to you, think again. Online dating has numerous benefits that outweigh the bad.

If you are looking for love, online dating is one of the many places to find it.

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