Technological advances in the latter half of the twentieth century meant many, many things for the human race. The 80s in particular saw the birth and/or growth of many of the gadgets that we use today – mobile phones, computers, games, CDs, VHS etcetcetc.
These things advanced our lives in many ways. Away from the shoulder pads, leg warmers, mullets and leotards, the way we dated was changing. I’m not even sure HOW I know this (I saw it in some 1980s movie I think), but “video dating” was the first major step towards the online dating we have today. The concept of video dating was quite simple, single people would record themselves and created a VHS tape of themselves describing what they did, what they enjoyed…the type of things you would put on an online dating page. This video would then be stored and could be watched by other single people who would judge whether they wanted to date you. Not as instant as online dating sites or apps, but they were getting there.
(To see what I mean, see this rather cringe-worthy youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bomkgXeDkE. Ellen being Ellen, she found some of these guys 2 years ago and brought them on her show…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9EBeMhKblw)
Video Dating was not the worst thing that happened during that decade in popular culture...
I think that it is safe to say that most people seem to have a fairly firm view as to what they think about online dating today. Generally speaking it would seem to be that people fall into 3 categories they either think: (1) it’s lame and would never work (2) they are open to the idea of using it but not sure if they have the balls or (3) don’t see what the big deal is, “gotta be init to winit”.
Video dating was the first avenue really that used technology to try and create relationships. I wasn’t around so don’t know how popular it was, or what people thought about it and there is little information on it that I can find…possibly something else about the 80s people are trying to forget haha. But knowing how long VHS tapes lasted, I’m sure that video dating possibly had a rocky existence. This is no surprise as even now in an increasingly liberal world, with most people in the West being increasingly open about sexuality, relationships and sex, online dating continues to be a topic that strikes up huge contrasts in opinion.
There is of course ANOTHER form of matchmaking that has been missed out. Now, I don’t know when the first EVER television show that was created in order for people to find love was but I’m sure it was pretty early on. People love, love. People want to see people find love. People want to see people fall out of love. People like watching real people. Before reality t.v. took hold of viewers the world over, there was of course game shows. More specifically – dating game shows.
I remember in the 90s that as a child the weekend t.v. meant two things – Top of the Pops on a Friday night and Blind Date on a Saturday night. Cilla Black chirping out “what’s your name and where d’ya come from pet” pretty much made my weekend as a pre-pubescent child. I loved the cheesy lines, despite not knowing what most of the innuendos meant. Plus the anticipation of seeing who was going to be chosen, always hoping that the couple would be good-looking and get along on the holiday…which they NEVER did – was exciting. Anyone remember the episode where it turned out that the guy who had won the date actually had a girlfriend?? Good times. Anyway. I digress.
It would seem in the past few years, at least on our British screens that with Blind Date sadly leaving us in 2003, the dating game show is making a comeback in a BIG way. Some that I have noticed are:
Brand new on BBC3 last night was a show called the World Series of Dating – a show that seemed to just be judging a guy’s dating chat skills rather than actually hooking any couples up…as far as I could tell anyway.
Sky Living started a show a few weeks ago called “Love Machine” which pairs up couples, largely based on looks rather than much else and then sends them away on a holiday together to see how they get on. Usually couples seem to kiss on the date but the whole show looks rather scripted and you don’t get much feedback from the couples other than “ye, I’d like to see her/him again”.
There is also “Dating in the Dark” which has been around for a couple of years. It can be pretty funny to watch to be fair, on a day when you are possibly hungover it can sometimes be fairly entertaining and couples have no idea what the other looks like until right at the end. Again though, I’m not sure how much success they have had in pairing happy couples.
And a favourite of quite a few of my friends – “Take Me Out”. I have met a guy who was on that show, and also have friends who have said they met people who were on it too. APPARENTLY (don’t shoot the messenger), people are told who to pick, quite often based upon who the producers reckon will get a good response from viewers if chosen. Usually someone who is really pretty and would make a good match, or one of the girls who has been on the show a while and they reckon her finally getting that date would crank up ratings.
Now as I said, I don’t know how successful video dating was back in the day. I do however know that online dating seems to have varying success. I know a few people who have met some really great people through it and have sometimes had relationships from it but I get the impression that at my age, they tend to be the exception. Dating television shows however I think are there purely for entertainment purposes (thus why they are on t.v.) rather than much else.
Those of you who watched and remember Blind Date SURELY remember how much the couples hated one another most of the time, and these new shows don’t seem to be doing much better. Sure, on some of the dates from the new shows they maybe have a wee smooch on the date they are sent on, but quite often they are sending two attractive people out to dinner/on holiday, I think that most people in that position after a couple glasses of wine are gonna have a snog of the hot person sat across from them.
But really, like some people on online dating sites I would question the motives of most of the people on those shows. Quite a lot of them look like “players” and if we are honest, a lot of them probably just want exposure and don’t actually go into it with the mindset of finding love.
Forget the videos, online dating profiles and cameo spots on dating shows – I reckon that if you really are looking for love, that technology should be forgotten and we should just find it the old-fashioned way. You find love when you least expect it.
