Eleven pc of net users date on websites

Romance is blossoming on the internet, with 11 per cent of US internet users, or about 16 million people, saying that they have gone to dating websites, according to a new national survey.

Romance is blossoming on the internet, with 11 per cent of US internet users, or about 16 million people, saying that they have gone to dating websites, according to a new national survey.

A notable number of these online daters have found firsthand that lasting romance can be forged online, with 17 per cent of them, or roughly three million people, saying they have entered long-term relationships or married someone they met through the services, the Pew Internet and American Life project report said.

Whether you meet someone offline or online, email and other forms of online communication now play host to some of the most crucial interactions in the early stages of a relationship, said Amanda Lenhart, senior research specialist and co-author of the report.

Indeed, a substantial segment of single and looking internet users, 40 per cent, say they flirt online, and 28 per cent have used the internet or email to ask someone out on a date.

Although online dating is growing, most internet users (66 per cent) believe it is dangerous because it puts personal information online and 55 per cent of the view that many online daters lie about their marital status.

Another distinguishing feature of the dating scene in the digital age is the newfound ability for singles to ‘google’ each other or search online for information relating to a potential date before they meet or even agree to meet.

Of those internet users who are single and looking for romantic partners, 17 per cent have searched for information about someone they were currently dating or were about to meet for a first date.

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While some stigma about online dating persists, most internet users do not view it simply as a last resort. Of the 3,215 adult internet users surveyed last fall, about 61 per cent do not think that people who use online dating are ‘desperate’.

The survey also showed that online men are more likely than online women to view dating services as a good way to meet people.

The Pew Internet and American Life project is a non-partisan, non-profit research organisation fully funded by the pew charitable trusts to examine the social impact of the internet.