Afro-Cyber-Romance:
How Blacks Are Finding Love Online
By Camillo Gonsalves, Special to AOL Black Voices,
Posted: 2005-08-14 16:20:07
Chris H. is an attractive brother. The 29-year-old chemical engineer is a 6'3" gym-rat with a quick wit and an easy smile. He owns a home, makes "close to six figures" and drives a big, shiny BMW.
And he met his current girlfriend, Cyrica, on the Internet.
"It's not that I had problems meeting women or getting dates," said Chris. "But I'd heard some of my friends talking about a Web site, so I decided to check it out one day at work. I saw Cyrica's page, and I just sent her a quick note. She wrote back, and we met later that week."
And he met his current girlfriend, Cyrica, on the Internet.
"It's not that I had problems meeting women or getting dates," said Chris. "But I'd heard some of my friends talking about a Web site, so I decided to check it out one day at work. I saw Cyrica's page, and I just sent her a quick note. She wrote back, and we met later that week."
Chris is one of over 40 million Americans who visited an online dating service last year, according to a report by comScore Networks. Online dating generated $214 million in revenue in 2003, and JupiterResearch has reported that the industry revenue will top $516 million this year, making it the most important subscription-based business on the Internet.
African Americans make up an ever-growing chunk of the online dating market. Even though the 2004 empirical analysis of online dating, 'What makes You Click: An Empirical Analysis of Online Dating' by economists from the University of Chicago and MIT, observed that "minorities are largely underrepresented' on many major dating sites, the researchers noted the rise in black-only dating Web sites. Whether you're looking for a "Black Singles Connection" or an "Online Booty Call," there's a Web site out there for you. There are currently over 25 active major Web sites dedicated solely to African-American dating, but there are also major online dating services like Match.com, which features the profiles of over 1.5 million Black singles. Other Web sites are not strictly dedicated to online dating, but many of their millions of members, like Chris and Cyrica, use them to make love connections.
Despite of the Internet's once-seedy reputation as a haven for porn sites and casual sex, many couples are finding true love online. High-profile Web site eHarmony.com claims responsibility for 6,000 marriages, and Match.com says that 200,000 people each year find the relationship that they are looking for on that site. A 2004 survey found that 12% of recently married couples met online and almost one third of them got together using Match.com.
Online dating has also shed its stigma as a gathering place for losers. Shani P., a 22-year-old Howard University senior with active profiles on three separate online dating sites says that "most of her friends" are comfortable with Internet courtship. "I do everything online," said Shani. "I shop. I get directions. I chat with people. Why not find a date? You have a better chance meeting someone nice online than you do up in a club or a bar somewhere."
African Americans make up an ever-growing chunk of the online dating market. Even though the 2004 empirical analysis of online dating, 'What makes You Click: An Empirical Analysis of Online Dating' by economists from the University of Chicago and MIT, observed that "minorities are largely underrepresented' on many major dating sites, the researchers noted the rise in black-only dating Web sites. Whether you're looking for a "Black Singles Connection" or an "Online Booty Call," there's a Web site out there for you. There are currently over 25 active major Web sites dedicated solely to African-American dating, but there are also major online dating services like Match.com, which features the profiles of over 1.5 million Black singles. Other Web sites are not strictly dedicated to online dating, but many of their millions of members, like Chris and Cyrica, use them to make love connections.
Despite of the Internet's once-seedy reputation as a haven for porn sites and casual sex, many couples are finding true love online. High-profile Web site eHarmony.com claims responsibility for 6,000 marriages, and Match.com says that 200,000 people each year find the relationship that they are looking for on that site. A 2004 survey found that 12% of recently married couples met online and almost one third of them got together using Match.com.
Online dating has also shed its stigma as a gathering place for losers. Shani P., a 22-year-old Howard University senior with active profiles on three separate online dating sites says that "most of her friends" are comfortable with Internet courtship. "I do everything online," said Shani. "I shop. I get directions. I chat with people. Why not find a date? You have a better chance meeting someone nice online than you do up in a club or a bar somewhere."
Not everyone is convinced, though. Valerie Cook, a New Jersey teacher who describes herself as "very comfortable using the Internet," is not sold on online dating. "The fact that someone uses the Internet to get a date suggests some sort of deficit in my view," she said. "There is a sub-textual question: 'why can't he meet someone the old-fashioned way?'"
Statistically at least, the online dating pool looks good on paper. Online daters are more likely to have a college or post-graduate degree than the rest of society, and are more likely to make between $50,000 and $100,000 than the average man or woman on the street.
Interestingly, African Americans who log on to mainstream sites like Match.com aren't necessarily looking for other black people. "Among Caucasians, 48% of all women and 22% of all men declare a preference for Caucasian mates," says the study. "On the other hand, only 25% of black women and 8% of black men declare that they want to meet only other blacks."
Online jungle fever may be limited to the mainstream services, because the proliferation of all-black dating sites suggests that it isn't the norm. For couples like Chris and Cyrica – who are "well past the casual stage," according to Chris – online dating has been a boon for black love. "When you stop to think about it, I thank God for the Internet," said Chris. "Because, without it, I may never have even met this beautiful woman."
About the Author
Camillo M. Gonsalves is a freelance writer and attorney based in New Jersey.
We'd love to hear your feedback on this article. E-mail us at: Talk2BV@aol.com.
Statistically at least, the online dating pool looks good on paper. Online daters are more likely to have a college or post-graduate degree than the rest of society, and are more likely to make between $50,000 and $100,000 than the average man or woman on the street.
Interestingly, African Americans who log on to mainstream sites like Match.com aren't necessarily looking for other black people. "Among Caucasians, 48% of all women and 22% of all men declare a preference for Caucasian mates," says the study. "On the other hand, only 25% of black women and 8% of black men declare that they want to meet only other blacks."
Online jungle fever may be limited to the mainstream services, because the proliferation of all-black dating sites suggests that it isn't the norm. For couples like Chris and Cyrica – who are "well past the casual stage," according to Chris – online dating has been a boon for black love. "When you stop to think about it, I thank God for the Internet," said Chris. "Because, without it, I may never have even met this beautiful woman."
About the Author
Camillo M. Gonsalves is a freelance writer and attorney based in New Jersey.
We'd love to hear your feedback on this article. E-mail us at: Talk2BV@aol.com.
2005-07-19 11:09:04
