Blind date

Blind Date or Blind Dating may refer to: * Blind date, a romantic meeting between two people who have never met before

A blind date is a romantic meeting between two people who have never met before. Both parties arrange a date with little to no information about each other, hoping for the possibility of making a lasting impression. Typically, a family member or a friend is responsible for arranging this meet-up, and the date is always unexpected. While its origin is unknown, it has been said that they were popularized in the early 20th century in the United States or in the early matchmaking efforts in Jewish communities in Eastern Europe in the 19th century.

Etymology

The term "blind date" derives from its constituent words, "blind" (i.e., something done without knowledge of certain facts) and "date" (i.e., a social engagement between two persons that often has a romantic character). Coined in the United States during the 1920s, it originally referred to the activity itself (1921), then later to the participants (1925).

Online dating

Family and friends have been less influential over the dating market for the past 60 years. Since 1997, the rise of the Internet has also displaced the neighborhood, the workplace, and the circle of friends as sources of dating partners. As of May 2013, it was estimated that 11% of adult Americans had used online dating websites or mobile dating applications, and 59% of American Internet users agreed that online dating was a good way to meet people (as of 2013). China's largest online dating site reported over 100 million users in September 2013. For couples that have been together for more than a year, the choice of venue (online vs. real life) had little influence on relationship success. Online dating services ask questions in the form of a survey in order to get to know the user better and to understand what they are looking for in a relationship. After the information is gathered, the matching users would be found based on various algorithms. The users are then encouraged to communicate with each other. According to a study done by Match.com, in an effort to determine how much impact their services are having on the way relationships develop today, "17% of couples married in the last 3 years met each other on an online dating site" and "1 out of 5 single people have dated someone they met on an online dating site". Nonetheless, there are thousands of online dating websites. The most popular ones are eHarmony with 20 million profiles and Match.com with 15 million profiles.

By country

China

Chinese parents tend to find their children blind dates in parks. "Spouse-hunting fairs in big city parks by parents eager to see their children tie the knot have made parks in China a haven for relationship hunters and their parents". Zhongshan Park has been the location where parents go to seek partners for their children. This process begins by the parents sitting on a bench with their child's credentials such as photos including academic and career information. After information has been exchanged and the parents like what they see, questions are asked about issues ranging from their child's zodiac sign to their place of residence. If everything runs smoothly during the second step, contact information is exchanged. This process can be very stressful for the parents and the child because they are not always in agreement. This makes it even more difficult for a partner to be found. Li, a middle-aged man who has experienced blind dates says he has met women "who have no intention of finding a boyfriend. Meeting me is merely to indulge their parents".

Iran

In 2024 Iranian regime took out a popular trending Reels IG TV show blind date.

References

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1350881566 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.

Names in other languages