I have said that online dating is counter-intuitive to what we have been taught, as the rules of socializing. The original rules of engagement are these:
- 1) See what you like
- 2) Approach
- 3) Find out more about the person
- 4) If finding is agreeable, advance
The online order is reversed:
- 1) Find out about the person
- 2) If finding is agreeable, continue
- 3) Approach in person
- 4) If you see what you like, advance
I can’t say which one is necessarily more valid than the other, but I do know that we are in the midst of a change, as the rules and order are being shuffled about. It’s a new game, and it stands to be seen whether the new order can prove itself or not.
What I do know is that the new way immediately makes the old way nostalgic, giving it brass. I do have a craving for guys who approach me in person, on the street, or grab me at the dance club to start a conversation or just pass a pearl into my ear.
Online dating is a different game. Everyone is judged on their word choice and diction. It’s no longer real-time wit and animal magnetism that rules the jungle. It’s the correct combination of words that would ultimately unlock the safe.
