Koreans have embraced the use the of technology to enhance their quests to find mates.
The use of social dating sites has bloomed as young singles, struggling to find someone suitable in their immediate social and work circles, use social dating sites in the hope of lassoing love.
There have been problems with the new technology-based dating, most of which revolve around the fact that people can never be sure their online partners are exactly who they say they are. This sets the stage for identity fraud and other scams.
As online connections develop, victims begin to feel an emotional connection to the people with whom they have been chatting. People even begin to fall in love with their online partners before they have even met.
Which is why we see cases like the one detailed in a question posted on a web page from a 34-year-old secretary about her online boyfriend, whom she had “dated” for several months online but had never met in person:
He is asking to borrow $3,000. I have some money set aside. Should I lend it to him, or is this a scam?
That she even had to ask that question is an indication of how serious a problem this can become.
In a society that is becoming increasingly socially isolated and technology-savvy, online dating will only increase. The question is how to do so in a way that protects the people involved. One way is to use social dating sites that seek to get real information on users into the system, decreasing the chances that site members will be the victims of fraud.
A bar in the Sinchon district of Seoul (a favorite place for university students to play) has added a new twist by fusing aspects of the social media and “meet a guy in a bar” dating scenes. Patrons of the bar are given tablet PCs (one per table) that are connected to each other on a local network. If they like what they read on the profiles and chats, they can then decide to meet in person then and there.
A 22-year-old college student, a regular at the bar, voiced her approval of the system:
At ordinary bars, I’m reluctant to meet someone, because I can only judge them based on their looks, but this bar is great because we can talk before we meet.
This way of meeting people eases the social embarrassment of having to turn someone down.
However, the fusion of inter-person and online mores may taking some getting used to; another patron said that the ”kind of bad manners you encounter on the Internet have found a good home here.”
