If you love Valentine's Day, I'm guessing you're either in a happy relationship or you're still optimistic that there's someone out there who might not tear your heart to shreds. Yay, the world needs more nice, happy people like you.
If you hate Valentine's Day, I'd wager that you're just not that into the person you're dating/married to/banging. (Don't fret — there's still time to get out!)
That, or you're single and not a big fan of being constantly reminded of it. It's kind of rough out there, isn't it? If all these new people are really moving here, I say we give priority admittance to the (hot) single ones, because some of us have been doing too many laps in the same old dating pool here for a looooooong time (slowly raises hand).
Anyway, as digital dating options continue to provide new ways to meet people that you'd want to date/marry/bang, finding someone the old-fashioned way — i.e., a bar, or perhaps church — seems entirely, well, old-fashioned. But is it possible to meet your ideal match online? Could an app push you one step closer to walking down the aisle? Can a website's algorithm not only compute what makes you so unique, but find you someone who will think so, too?
I'll admit to being a total skeptic in this department. Apart from a brief experimentation — FOR THE STORY — in catfishing sugar daddies, I've kept my love life entirely offline. I always thought the best way to meet someone was organically, through your social circles, involving actual people who know you and your history.
Matthew J. Nemer (who recently provided plenty of food for thought for our incoming mayor regarding biking in Nashville) was also curious to learn how people meet. In this collaboration with the Scene, he presents "Dating in the Modern Era," featuring conversations with couples and adventurous daters found all around town, from the Nashville Opera's opening night at TPAC to Saturday afternoons in neighborhood dive bars. You may be surprised by what you learn ...
I don't know about you guys, but I'm still skeptical. Love is such a risk, and relinquishing control to an app or a website seems crazy to me. Maybe that's more of a fear of love than technology, but if you think about it, love always ends horribly for one person. Always. Unless you have some sort of effed up suicide pact, there are two possible outcomes: One person will leave the other, or one person will die before the other. And then one of you is alone. 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? Is it really?
I don't know. I definitely know a lot less than a robot, so maybe it does make sense to trust a robot with your heart.
