The reluctance to actually engage with anything tangible, beyond a computer screen, continues apace for us Homo sapiens. The Guardian newspaper has recently done an exposé on a blooming industry – internet dating. And whilst this is nothing new, per se, it is becoming more desirable for those unwilling to go the old fashioned route: bar trawling for your next amore (so lazy, people).
eHarmony is the brainchild of a middle-aged Californian named Greg Waldorf and his matchmaking site claims to be responsible for over 500 weddings a day in the states. Yep, it’s the big business of love and Waldorf has just launched the site in the UK hoping to repeat his success there. One of the things that makes this site different from other matchmakers is that it uses a “patented, compatibility matching system,” which I can only assume is more accurate than getting loaded on vodka/red bulls and randomly choosing anyone in the nightclub with a pulse to attempt coitus. At least it sounds ‘pro.’ “It’s a scientifically proven matching system that’s been working incredibly well for 10 years in helping people find great relationships,” says Waldorf. Ok.
How will this amazing invention play in the land that gave birth to poor complexions, cynicism, and a healthy overbite? That is the question. California optimism will probably last five minutes on the mean streets of Glasgow, Cardiff, and Peckham. But, the site is already claiming a million users in the last eighteen months and Waldorf wants to be the number one matchmaking site in the world. The Guardian did mention that this is a deeply inundated industry with eHarmony only ranking 11th, losing to several pay-for sites including Dating Direct and Match.com. Whatever the ranking, this is obviously where people are spending their money during this bleak and over-long recession, and not on the high street.
