Aaron Renn’s newsletter The Masculinist takes a grim look at the dynamics of the online-dating world, based on data provided by some of its leading platforms. He’s writing from the male perspective, but there are plenty of depressing observations for the ladies as well, many of which will not be news. In Renn’s telling, the medium of online dating acts to exacerbate the pre-existing advantages of good looks in men and youth in women. His central thesis is that the shift to online dating has made romance into yet another globally commoditized market like anything else you buy online, leading to more inequality, more loss of opportunity for those with less to offer, and more superficial shopping patterns. There is more along the way about race, personality, and perception. While my own instinct on reading these sorts of articles is to immediately be glad I met my wife when we were 17, got married at 23, and stayed married, the origins of couples and families — and the struggles people endure to get there — shapes the world we live in and the world our children face.
One of most interesting bits is a striking graph drawn from a sociology study (with data through 2017) of how couples met, versions of which have been kicking around the web for a while:
www.nationalreview.com
One of most interesting bits is a striking graph drawn from a sociology study (with data through 2017) of how couples met, versions of which have been kicking around the web for a while:
How the Changing Dating Scene Shapes and Reflects Our World | National Review
For too many people, the answer now to how we met is ‘We didn’t.’
www.nationalreview.com
