What Makes Us Click: How Online Dating Shapes Our Relationships : NPR
Wang
To find out  Morning Edition asked two online daters who also spend their days thinking about online dating:  Megan Murray  a senior content strategist for Zoosk  an online dating site and mobile app  and Skyler Wang  a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at the University of California Berkeley .  Wang  also taught an undergraduate course at the University of British Columbia called What Makes Us Click  about online dating and  he  gave NPR permission to use  his  course title for Morning Edition's series on online dating.
 Wang  who identifies as gay   says before  he  and  his  friends go out to a bar   his  friends go on dating apps Tinder and Grindr to meet people at the bars where they're headed. "Now  the 'gayborhood' is in your cell phone "  he  says. "I think technology has created a better  more democratic social environment for especially marginalized groups."
"Basically  people use lists nowadays to get a better sense who they're attracted to and put a very quantitative twist to something that didn't used to be like that "  Wang  says.
 Wang  cautions that this kind of approach to dating lets users act like they are shopping  which isn't necessarily a good thing.  He  calls the practice "relationshopping " and  he  warns that it not only objectifies others  it de-emphasizes the importance of building a relationship. People sometimes treat dating as if they are looking for the perfect dress or handbag   Wang  says.
"Relationshopping is problematic because people give up so quickly now "  Wang  says  "and for the most bizarre reasons."  He  says that people may choose to not go on a second date with someone simply because they don't like their hair.
"It makes you feel like people are a commodity "  he  says.
In fact   Wang  says  some sites describe themselves as more of an introduction service than a dating site.
"The dating doesn't happen online. The dating happens in person "  Wang  says. "So in a way they're trying to preserve that magic."
To find out  Morning Edition asked two online daters who also spend their days thinking about online dating:  Megan Murray  a senior content strategist for Zoosk  an online dating site and mobile app  and Skyler Wang  a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at the University of California Berkeley .   [TGT] also taught an undergraduate course at the University of British Columbia called What Makes Us Click  about online dating and   [TGT]   gave NPR permission to use   [TGT]   course title for Morning Edition's series on online dating.
  [TGT] who identifies as gay   says before   [TGT]   and   [TGT]   friends go out to a bar    [TGT]   friends go on dating apps Tinder and Grindr to meet people at the bars where they're headed. "Now  the 'gayborhood' is in your cell phone "   [TGT]   says. "I think technology has created a better  more democratic social environment for especially marginalized groups."
"Basically  people use lists nowadays to get a better sense who they're attracted to and put a very quantitative twist to something that didn't used to be like that  [TGT] says.
  [TGT] cautions that this kind of approach to dating lets users act like they are shopping  which isn't necessarily a good thing.   [TGT]   calls the practice "relationshopping " and   [TGT]   warns that it not only objectifies others  it de-emphasizes the importance of building a relationship. People sometimes treat dating as if they are looking for the perfect dress or handbag    [TGT] says.
"Relationshopping is problematic because people give up so quickly now  [TGT] says  "and for the most bizarre reasons."   [TGT]   says that people may choose to not go on a second date with someone simply because they don't like their hair.
"It makes you feel like people are a commodity "  he  says.
In fact    [TGT] says  some sites describe themselves as more of an introduction service than a dating site.
"The dating doesn't happen online. The dating happens in person  [TGT] says. "So in a way they're trying to preserve that magic."