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Facebook as a Matchmaker
Annamarie Ammen
By the year 2033, the Internet will have most likely reshaped itself multiple times, and it will additionally have remolded the way people interact with it and with one another. Interactions, specifically romantic relationships, will have changed drastically, and it will be due to websites, such as Facebook, that these changes occur. With the current popularity of Facebook, it is hard to think that the site will ever diminish entirely to nothing. Therefore, I predict that in the next twenty-five years Facebook will gradually switch over from a social networking site to more of a dating site. Its impact on romantic relationships is already felt by the modern generation, so it is easy to see it as becoming even more active in the future. The biggest changes that could possibly occur with its transition to a dating site would include automatic pairing of individuals who are likely to get along based on interest and other factors, and becoming a catalyst of sorts for communication between the two parties.
Facebook already acts as a means of communication between individuals regarding romantic relationships and status. Many people rely on the website to give them updates on the lives of people they may or may not keep in contact with daily, especially regarding romantic relationships. Due to this, it is all too easy to see Facebook as transitioning into something that deals predominantly with these romances. Dating sites are popular among those in their late twenties to mid-50’s in today’s world, however, if Facebook were to change into more of a dating site, the majority of its users, college-aged adults, would probably go along with it. In twenty-five years, Facebook could potentially be a way for its users to legitimately make connections with people of romantic interest. The makings of this idea are already in place from individual profiles displaying their interests, activities, and other things specific to that person to updating romantic status when necessary to “friending” people that you may or may not even know in real life. The morphing of Facebook into a dating website would allow users to not merely “stalk” their “friends” but rather try to make actual connections with people who strike their fancy. Everything is more or less laid out on the table for it to be used to find dates, but Facebook would of course change some over the course of the next twenty-five years, and these changes might include an automatic matching system, pairing together individuals who ideally could make a romantic relationship work.
The thought that Facebook would take the work out of finding that special someone isn’t as far-fetched as one might believe, especially if Mark Zuckerman and his team have the next twenty-five years to accomplish it. With the aid of user profiles, there could be a system that would go through common themes and pair different people accordingly. Upon registering for the site, Facebook would ask a series of simple questions which it would use, in addition to the information you provide freely through the creation of your individual profile, to find people with whom you could have a romantic connection. Similar to the current application of “people you might know,” this application could be called, “people you could date.” It would give the name of the person, a small picture of them, and potentially how confident Facebook is that you would hit it off. From there you could click on the person’s name and a new screen with more specific information, such as location, age, and interests, would pop up. Facebook wouldn’t necessarily show the individual’s actual profile, but just enough to allow you to make the decision whether or not to contact him or her. The options wouldn’t change much from today’s options for “friending” people, but it would cut down the guesswork of trying to figure out if that really attractive member of the opposite sex is single, interesting, or interested. The means of contact might be upped a bit in the future, however, and it could be possible for two interested parties to do more than just textually message back and forth via Facebook.
Facebook currently allows people to either “friend” one another directly or use text to message the other person. With Facebook in 2033, however, these means will be much more sophisticated and will be a huge part of Facebook as a dating site. With the growing popularity of webcams and other modes of recording visual pictures and audio sounds, Facebook will incorporate both elements to make connections between users more personal. Rather than using text to send a message, a person interested in one of their romantic matches can record him or herself with the use of a camera and send that message to the other person saying a little bit about him or herself and how to get in touch. Following the initial contact, the two individuals can use their cameras to get to know one another in a virtual first-date setting. This would make it possible for two people living in different parts of the country or world to spend enough “face” time with one another as they try to decide if a romantic relationship is worth pursuing. All of this virtual communication would take place through the Facebook site, and it would be possible to multitask, such as looking at the person’s profile and other information as you speak to him or her. Facebook would even create a section on the screen where you could take down notes as the conversation flowed so that you could remember specific things said or overall feelings towards the other person and potential relationship. This virtual “face to face” interaction would give both parties a chance at a relationship, but with less fear of rejection as there would be no contact outside of the computer unless it was mutually agreed upon by them both. The relationships formed by Facebook methods would easily be broken off if either of the individuals wanted to end it. Without meeting live in the flesh, relationships would lose a very important dynamic, and as if Facebook hasn’t changed relationships enough, they would be even more different than they are today.
With something as influential as Facebook already changing romantic relationships, it’s difficult to see it ever slowing down and people going back to the way it once was. Facebook will eventually morph into a dating site where people will be matched up with others automatically and then be given the opportunity to virtually connect with individuals they think might be good romantic companions. It will take a lot of the nervous guesswork out of dating and become the norm to find romance through the social networking site. While nothing is certain about Facebook’s future, it will continue to change as it tries to stay on top of other similar websites, and one way it can do this is by cutting out the work part of finding the perfect romantic relationship. If it succeeds, Facebook will be around for the long haul because who doesn’t want to find the perfect man or woman?
By the year 2033, the Internet will have most likely reshaped itself multiple times, and it will additionally have remolded the way people interact with it and with one another. Interactions, specifically romantic relationships, will have changed drastically, and it will be due to websites, such as Facebook, that these changes occur. With the current popularity of Facebook, it is hard to think that the site will ever diminish entirely to nothing. Therefore, I predict that in the next twenty-five years Facebook will gradually switch over from a social networking site to more of a dating site. Its impact on romantic relationships is already felt by the modern generation, so it is easy to see it as becoming even more active in the future. The biggest changes that could possibly occur with its transition to a dating site would include automatic pairing of individuals who are likely to get along based on interest and other factors, and becoming a catalyst of sorts for communication between the two parties.
Facebook already acts as a means of communication between individuals regarding romantic relationships and status. Many people rely on the website to give them updates on the lives of people they may or may not keep in contact with daily, especially regarding romantic relationships. Due to this, it is all too easy to see Facebook as transitioning into something that deals predominantly with these romances. Dating sites are popular among those in their late twenties to mid-50’s in today’s world, however, if Facebook were to change into more of a dating site, the majority of its users, college-aged adults, would probably go along with it. In twenty-five years, Facebook could potentially be a way for its users to legitimately make connections with people of romantic interest. The makings of this idea are already in place from individual profiles displaying their interests, activities, and other things specific to that person to updating romantic status when necessary to “friending” people that you may or may not even know in real life. The morphing of Facebook into a dating website would allow users to not merely “stalk” their “friends” but rather try to make actual connections with people who strike their fancy. Everything is more or less laid out on the table for it to be used to find dates, but Facebook would of course change some over the course of the next twenty-five years, and these changes might include an automatic matching system, pairing together individuals who ideally could make a romantic relationship work.
The thought that Facebook would take the work out of finding that special someone isn’t as far-fetched as one might believe, especially if Mark Zuckerman and his team have the next twenty-five years to accomplish it. With the aid of user profiles, there could be a system that would go through common themes and pair different people accordingly. Upon registering for the site, Facebook would ask a series of simple questions which it would use, in addition to the information you provide freely through the creation of your individual profile, to find people with whom you could have a romantic connection. Similar to the current application of “people you might know,” this application could be called, “people you could date.” It would give the name of the person, a small picture of them, and potentially how confident Facebook is that you would hit it off. From there you could click on the person’s name and a new screen with more specific information, such as location, age, and interests, would pop up. Facebook wouldn’t necessarily show the individual’s actual profile, but just enough to allow you to make the decision whether or not to contact him or her. The options wouldn’t change much from today’s options for “friending” people, but it would cut down the guesswork of trying to figure out if that really attractive member of the opposite sex is single, interesting, or interested. The means of contact might be upped a bit in the future, however, and it could be possible for two interested parties to do more than just textually message back and forth via Facebook.
Facebook currently allows people to either “friend” one another directly or use text to message the other person. With Facebook in 2033, however, these means will be much more sophisticated and will be a huge part of Facebook as a dating site. With the growing popularity of webcams and other modes of recording visual pictures and audio sounds, Facebook will incorporate both elements to make connections between users more personal. Rather than using text to send a message, a person interested in one of their romantic matches can record him or herself with the use of a camera and send that message to the other person saying a little bit about him or herself and how to get in touch. Following the initial contact, the two individuals can use their cameras to get to know one another in a virtual first-date setting. This would make it possible for two people living in different parts of the country or world to spend enough “face” time with one another as they try to decide if a romantic relationship is worth pursuing. All of this virtual communication would take place through the Facebook site, and it would be possible to multitask, such as looking at the person’s profile and other information as you speak to him or her. Facebook would even create a section on the screen where you could take down notes as the conversation flowed so that you could remember specific things said or overall feelings towards the other person and potential relationship. This virtual “face to face” interaction would give both parties a chance at a relationship, but with less fear of rejection as there would be no contact outside of the computer unless it was mutually agreed upon by them both. The relationships formed by Facebook methods would easily be broken off if either of the individuals wanted to end it. Without meeting live in the flesh, relationships would lose a very important dynamic, and as if Facebook hasn’t changed relationships enough, they would be even more different than they are today.
With something as influential as Facebook already changing romantic relationships, it’s difficult to see it ever slowing down and people going back to the way it once was. Facebook will eventually morph into a dating site where people will be matched up with others automatically and then be given the opportunity to virtually connect with individuals they think might be good romantic companions. It will take a lot of the nervous guesswork out of dating and become the norm to find romance through the social networking site. While nothing is certain about Facebook’s future, it will continue to change as it tries to stay on top of other similar websites, and one way it can do this is by cutting out the work part of finding the perfect romantic relationship. If it succeeds, Facebook will be around for the long haul because who doesn’t want to find the perfect man or woman?
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