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The Problem With Internet Dating's Frictionless Market

Posted by Soulskill on from the friction-jokes-excluded-for-obviousity dept.

Hugh Pickens writes "Peter Ludlow writes in the Atlantic that the internet has turned the dating marketplace into a frictionless market that puts together buyer and seller without transaction costs. And that's a bad thing. 'Finding a partner used to be expensive, and the market was inefficient. If you lived in a large city, there were always people looking for partners, but the problem was how to find them.' But one advantage of inefficient dating markets is that in times of scarcity we sometimes take chances on things we wouldn't otherwise try while in times of plenty, we take the path of least resistance (someone who appears compatible) and we forgo difficult and prima facie implausible pairings. Another problem with frictionless online markets (PDF) is that assume we know what we are looking for. But sometimes we simply don't know what we are looking for until we stumble across it in a search for something else, says Ludlow. 'The result is often unexpected and beautiful. So it is with relationships; compatibility is a terrible idea in selecting a partner,' concludes Ludlow. 'We often make our greatest discoveries and acquire our greatest treasures when local scarcity compels us to be open to new and better things.'"

8 of 453 comments (clear)

  1. lube by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    well, lets hope it's as frictionless as possible...inadequate lube leads to broken condoms and accidental babies.

    1. Re:lube by Jafafa+Hots · · Score: 5, Funny

      Never run short of lube again:
      http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MR3IVO

      --
      This space available.
    2. Re:lube by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      "Customers who viewed this item also viewed: LOTR Narsil Sword"

    3. Re:lube by oztiks · · Score: 5, Funny

      The customer reviews are even more disturbing

      1.0 out of 5 stars Hazard for cats, December 2, 2011
      By Mark A. - See all my reviews
      This review is from: Passion Natural Water-Based Lubricant - 55 Gallon (Health and Beauty)
      This is a hazard! I've already lost two cats in this thing. There should be a warning sticker or something. I assumed the cats would float, but they sunk like rocks into the lube. And no, it's not what you think. Don't be disgusting. I was trying to create my own cat lube wrestling league. You know, for sickos.

  2. Re:Meh by turp182 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "At a glance" seems awfully superficial, taken at face value.

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    BlameBillCosby.com
  3. Holy Crap! Mind = Blown! by VortexCortex · · Score: 5, Funny

    I actually RTFA this time, and it blew my mind!

    Turns out I had the whole concept of Internet Dating wrong! I've been dating the Internet itself!

    mind-gasm

  4. Re:Settle? by jamesh · · Score: 5, Funny

    unlimitless pool of choices

    you're hurting my brain.

  5. The Frog Princess and the Programmer by Tackhead · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is Slashdot we are talking about. Nobody is even kissing frogs here.

    A computer programmer happens across a frog in the road. The frog pipes up, "I'm really a beautiful princess and if you kiss me, I'll stay with you for a week". The programmer shrugs his shoulders and puts the frog in his pocket.

    A few minutes later, the frog says "OK, OK, if you kiss me, I'll give you great sex for a week". The programmer nods and puts the frog back in his pocket.

    A few minutes later, "Turn me back into a princess and I'll give you great sex for a whole year!". The programmer smiles and walks on.

    Finally, the frog says, "What's wrong with you? I've promised you great sex for a year from a beautiful princess and you won't even kiss a frog?"

    "I'm a programmer," he replies. "I don't have time for sex.... But a talking frog is pretty neat!"