Practically 90 million Americans remain without a significant other, according to an August episode of 60 Minutes. Today, many young people take part in online dating. Chat rooms fill with those looking for dates and companionship on popular sites like match.com, matchmaker descrip
, and friendster.com.

Dating in the United States has undergone many transitional periods, and the state of seeking a mate may be approaching limbo this millennium, due to technological advances.

The online dating industry is consistently growing. An estimated 55,000 new members register on match.com yearly, helping generate $185 million last year alone, said Vice President of match.com Trish McDermott on 60 Minutes.

SF State graduate Seema Dhillon met two boyfriends in AOL chatrooms. The first, she met in high school, and dated him for a year and a half. The 23-year-old is currently dating her second online boyfriend--the two have been dating on and off for three years. Dhillon has also dated men she met on match.com.

“I think online dating is completely safe,” she said. “I have met a lot of cool people that I may not have met anywhere else.”

On match.com someone may “wink” at you, explained Dhillon. If a member likes what he or she sees after viewing a profile, he or she can send a message, a “wink,” to that person. Dhillon compares the “wink” to a bar setting, where a man may wink, or signal that he is attracted to you, then you get to decide if you want his company.

“Sometimes someone unattractive ‘winks’ at you,” said Dhillon. “Then, I have the choice. Most of the time it is entertaining to see who responds to my profile, it is not really that different from conventional dating.”

SF State sociology and human sexuality professor Dr. Christopher Carrington disagrees with Dhillon. He believes traditional dating differs from online dating.

“What separates online dating from traditional dating is that not everyone owns a computer,” said Carrington. “Right now online dating is only available to those positioned in a certain class, and members of the middle and upper classes tend to be a certain race: white. It is like the telephone because initially not many people bought them, but now telephones are a crucial part of society.”

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston a technological break-through occurred called wireless dating. Four students merged on-line matchmaker techniques with everyday social settings. Personal information is stored, regarding an individual’s desires for a lover, said the New Scientist writer Celeste Biever in the article, “The Dating Game Goes Wireless.”

The service will operate through cellular telephones, said Biever. A user will be notified if someone who matches his or her profile is in a nearby area. If two people who match are in the same coffee shop, a message will be sent to their phones notifying them of the connection. The customer now has the ability to scan the profile and decide if he or she would like to meet the potential mate.

Although the invention remains a work in progress, Carrington is fascinated by this occurrence.

“This is a convergence of meeting a mate through technology and traditional social gatherings,” said Carrington. “One could argue that this invention has not only the advantages of online dating, but also traditional dating.”

In social psychology this idea of wireless dating uses propinquity--meaning who is like you, and who is in your proximity as a tool for compatibility, explained Carrington.

“Wireless dating could put an end to the need to interrogate a potential lover,” said Carrington.

Not everyone has accepted the online dating phenomenon.

“Online dating is not something for me,” said civil engineer major Glen Lin.

“Nobody will tell you the truth all the time, so why would I trust someone I don’t know and can’t see? Expecting to find someone on the Internet would be a set up for disappointment to me.”