What took Time Magazine so long to realize how many Baby Boomers are dating online? Time.com has finally noticed that the 50-to-65 age group is the fastest-growing group of online daters.
Baby Boomer Dating
According to the November 26, 2010 time.com article “Online Dating Enjoying a Boom Among Boomers” by Amy Lennard Goehner, anthropologist and author Helen Fisher says, “Fifteen years ago if you went on an online dating site, you would be thought to have three heads.” Fisher must be right because she’s an anthropologist.
Well, maybe I went online in 1997 because I was a stupid three-headed harpy. I think I was about 45 and I can’t remember my exact age because once I hit 35 the numbers all started blurring together.
Back in the mid-1990s, match.com was free. Of course, there were very few guys over 35 at the dating site, so there was nothing that exciting unless you were a single divorcee going through a midlife crisis.
Maybe people in Seattle were born with the internet gene. Maybe it leeches into our brains through the coffee. All I know is that a lot of Seattle-area Boomers have been online for quite a while. New Jersey…maybe not so many.
It’s not surprising that, according to time.com, “At Match.com, the 50-to-65 age group is the online dating site's fastest-growing demographic, up 89% in the last five years.” Seniors, if one is brave enough to call Boomers that moniker, are the fastest growing demographic all over the internet. Boomers "are" the internet. Other stats from Time:
- JDate.com (for Jewish Singles) had a 40% increase of Boomers over 50 in the year 2008 – 2009.
- SeniorSinglesMeet.com (the parent of JDate) is growing even faster.
Baby Boomer Dating Online
Time.com sounds a bit mocking when Goehner says that Boomers lagged behind younger people in embracing technology. As I said before, I can’t vouch for New Jersey, but Seattle and the rest of the West Coast (north of LA) does not fall into that category.
And, if Baby Boomers did lag behind their kids in picking up on Facebook, it’s probably because Boomers were busy working, trying to pay for their kids’ college educations and cross-country soccer tournaments. So, rather than perfecting the fine art of flicking the roller ball on an iPod, Boomers were working at Enterprise Car Rental or one of the other fine jobs that hadn’t been outsourced.
Baby Boomers Need Online Dating
One of the big surprises, to me, is that there weren’t a few more 50-year-olds on Match.com (or one of the other dating sites) in the late 90s.
Where can Boomers meet people?
- Church – most of those folks are already married.
- Bars/Clubs – most of those people are marinated.
- Concerts – most concertgoers are into rap or they're deaf.
- Grocery Stores – most of those people are married or broke.
- Trendy Parts of Town – most of those people are gay. (Well, for some of you that’s a plus.)
So, once you’re out of college, where do you meet someone? I know that I can meet people anywhere because when I’m in the mood I can be quite chatty…but most Boomers have a bit more dignity.
Online Dating Safety
As long as you follow the safety rules posted on all good websites, it is safe to date online. Because I had tween/teen daughters, I never told anyone where I lived. If you, as a Boomer, made it through the 60s, you probably have enough common sense to know whom you should and should not trust, but meet any potential dates at Starbucks or a similarly public place.
Does Online Dating Work?
Yes, I met my husband online. I tried clubs, restaurants, Barnes & Noble, and many other fun places. I met quite a few men. I went out with some of them. However, I liked that I could do a quick “background check” of men who contacted me online. There is nothing wrong with meeting guys in the “real” world, but you can increase your odds by adding Match.com, Eharmony.com, SeniorSinglesMeet.com and any other site that looks interesting to the mix.
What the heck, life is short. And, time.com, the next time you post a news article about Baby Boomers’ dating, drop me an email. You need to widen your sources.
Resource:
Goehner, Amy Lennard. “Online Dating Enjoying a Boom Among Boomers” Friday, Nov. 26, 2010. (Accessed Monday, November 29, 2010)
Christina Gregoire - Christina Gregoire writes about divorce, fashion, and baby boomers. Her forte is explaining complex ideas in simple language.
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