Then 10 years ago the iPhone arrived with apps, all the same features as the Blackberry but a far better user experience. If the Blackberry was an intelligent phone, the iPhone was the truly Smart phone.
Again, it was found in pockets, on belts, in purses, and in holsters. Android phones followed, and now everyone, it seems, has a smartphone. To say people now love their smartphones is an understatement.
But all of that is love of devices. Love of music portability, then apps and email, messaging and phone calls. What about human interaction? Where’s that passion?
Again, a little history. A long time ago in newspapers and magazines there were classified ads. At some point there began to be “personal ads.” In modern times this became a euphemism for wanting to find someone to date. In its origin it was far more domestic in intent. fact one of the early personal ads, placed in a Manchester newspaper by a woman on 1727, landed her in an insane asylum for a month. And she was seeking a husband, not a date!
By the 1960s it was not uncommon for local and regional magazines to run personal ads. There was some degree of stigma about them, comedy routines poked fun at them, but yet they proved to have a measure of success.
And then in the mid-1980s, personals found their way to the Internet. Compuserve, The Well, Prodigy, Echo, BitNet, Genie and other online services offered various forms of regional or areas of common interest personal ads. You could meet someone nearby, or someone who shared your passion for a hobby or pop culture topic . . . or perhaps both.
AOL buys Compuserve, many of the other services fade away. The web becomes more browser-based with websites, blogs, and independent, more individual and personal use of computers and web surfing takes over from the AOLs and Compuserves of the recent past.
Enter personals in a new form: dating sites, matchmaking sites, hookup sites.
The early ones do remarkably well. The traffic is high, they sell to larger companies for vast sums. Fast forward to the smartphone era with its apps and websites. A decade or more ago there was some stigma still. Eyebrows were raised, “Oh, you met on the web?” But time, the pervasiveness of the web, and the digital reality of communications in the connected era washed away the stigma.
In much the manner that the Walkman at first was decried as a teenybopper’s escape from human interaction, then was interwoven into society, personals, or dating apps, are now the norm. Tinder, OK Cupid, Match.com, Zoosk, and eHarmony are the well known services. OurTime.com and Senor People Meet are exclusively for the 50+ crowd. For those who want a religion oriented service, there are J-Date and Christian Mingle, among others. Ethnic sites exist: BlackPeopleMeet.com, Filipinocupid.com, Amigos.com, and a host of ethnic types and variations. There are sites for Australians living in the US, and almost any country of origin. Dating sites exist for speakers of various languages. There are LGBTQ sites. People with certain prurient proclivities can also find dating sites. There's one or many more for just about every group imaginable. And, of course, there’s the ever so infamous Ashley Madison site, for extramarital assignations.
Many online dating services allow users to become members. Membership means they may create a profile, uploading their personal information. This varies from site to site, but generally includes age, gender, sexual orientation, geographic location, and a photo. Members can view the profiles of other members, to decide if they wish to initiate contact. Through the site (or app) services offer notification of many kinds. Most common are messaging, email, or an alert when they next visit the site or app.
The preponderance of dating sites speaks to the success and acceptance of online matchmaking. Now, when the answer to the question, “How did you two meet?” is, “We met online,” there are no more raised eyebrows or snickers.
And then there’s Social Media. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest lead the pack in offering the ability to express a “like” or press a heart icon to express love. The flow of status post, comments, responses to pictures and the like enable friends or followers to express like, love, or passion. Ardent fans unite and share affection, devotion, fondness, excitement, in Facebook groups or on Twitter threads. These are Digital Communities, united by common bonds, common interests, common loves and common passion. And this occurs via the connectedness we enjoy in the Digital Age.
Correction: The Passionate Digital Age.
*The hand held Dictaphone predated the Sony Walkman as a small, portable device.
Dean Landsman is a NYC-based Digital Strategist who writes a monthly column for PR for People “The Connector.”