New data shows that more people are meeting on social networks like Facebook, versus actual online dating sites, and that their relationships are happier than those that began offline in more traditional ways.
“It was really, really astonishing, since [romantic relationships] aren’t the purpose of these sites,” said Jeffrey Hall, associate professor of Communication Studies at University of Kansas, of the data, which came from the online dating site eHarmony.
Hall conducted his own investigation to learn more about who was meeting their significant other this way and how well their marriages have fared. He sampled 19,131 people who had been married once between 2005 and 2012 to find out where they met. His study found that those who met on social networking sites were more likely to be younger, married more recently, and Black.
These couples also reported being just as happy as those who were introduced on online dating sites, which tout their compatibility benefits, and more satisfied than those who met on online communities. Hall’s study also showed that partners from social networking-based relationships were also happier than those that began offline, in traditional ways.
We found it quite interesting that so many young Black married couples are meeting on social media. Where did you meet your significant other?
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