Who's looking for love online? 22/08/2007 10:17  - (SA)

Zimkhitha Sulelo, News24 User

More and more people go online these days in search of their true love. Gone are the days when girls used to go out and hope that the cute guy across the table would some how find the courage to ask for a phone number. Now there is no point in waiting and all can be done in few minutes by posting a profile on internet.

With the help of internet one can be sitting at home wearing pyjamas and manage to attract enough attention from other online users. This can be done without having to worry about make up or shaving for that important first date.

There is also plenty of time to get to know the person a little before meeting them. By chatting to the person, one can decide if he or she is worth a date. There is no risk of catching HIV/Aids online either!

But when internet dating started, it was seen as something used by desperate people only. Now, more and more people are opting to use internet dating - especially the ones with busy lifestyles.

Second chances

An article I read recently illustrated exactly why a lot of people choose the internet to find love. "Sweetgal" a 29 year old Muslim woman, said that after her divorce from a man she was forced to marry, she decided to go online to find her true love. She knew exactly what she wanted from a man.

Bizcommunity claims that only about 12% South Africans have used internet to find love. Out of all these people, some are looking for love while some are just doing it for fun or what is referred to as "no-strings-attached-relationships".

According to a survey done by Netucation in 2004, there are more females online than males but there are also more married men online than single men. So, if you are looking for love on the internet be on the look out for married men and the most common lies which are about age and status.

Apparently, most of the time the picture used on a profile is a few years younger than the profile owner.

History lingers

Looking at the history of our country, it is not surprising to find out that about 78% of the people online are white followed by only 11.14 % of black people (not including coloureds and Indians). Most people online are from Gauteng province followed by Cape Town.

Netucation statistics also show that the predominate age group the 25-32 crowd, followed by 33-39. The majority of the first group apparently just want sex while the second group is mostly divorced people who are looking for a second chance in love.

Apparently someone's email address says a lot about that person so depending on what you're looking for, it would be wise to check the email addresses to make sure you are looking for the same things.

Regardless of age, race and gender, online users have the same goal - to find love. After all, love is worth searching for and if it means you need the internet to do it, so be it.