eHarmony, online dating, social networking, etc. Anika Page
DVD clip Speaker:
eHarmony Started in 2000 by Dr. Neil Clark Warren in Pasadena, Ca 250 person staff Matching heterosexual couples through psychological testing with the intention of marriage. They also provide marriage counseling, dating tips, advice for singles, etc.
Those excluded: homosexuals, people with three or more failed marriages, those with severe depression, those under the age of 21, and those already married Sued for not allowing gays and lesbians on the site
Doubled in its early stages but now growth has slowed to 10% because of free social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook Still remains among the most popular dating sites though it has recently been facing increasingly harsh criticism from competitors. Prices at eHarmony range from a flat monthly fee of $60 to a 12-month upfront fee of $251 ($21 a month). 250 million page hits a month from 15 million registered users
The Internet —globalization—interconnectivity- Global Village: the future of eHarmony and related sites such as match.com etc is uncertain: fads or culturally reshaping phenomena? Too soon to tell the effect of this reshaping and rethinking the concept of dating (psychological, sociological impacts) Will face to face human interaction be faded out more and more with the continued development of online companies and networks?
Marshal McLuhan the Gutenberg Galaxy -- that media are "extensions" of our human senses, bodies and minds. Putting ourselves “out there” on the internet as analyzed people (analyzed by dating sites in order to match people with profiles specific identities/biographies medium affects the society in which it plays a role not only by the content delivered over the medium, but by the characteristics of the medium itself Medium (dating websites, s, chats) The effect of online dating on society, society being reshaped. Toward a global village: electronic mass media collapses space and time barriers in human communication, enabling people to interact and live on a global scale
Cultural commentary on online dating, making fun, also using core ideas to gain customers/market products