Reading (U3/Int.)

Dating in the 21^st century is very different to how it was in the past. One reason for this is that people simply don’t have the time to meet people in the way they did before. In our modern hectic world people need to do everything in a hurry, and that includes dating.

The idea of speed dating started in the USA in the late 1990s and soon became popular not only in the USA, but around the world. The idea is quite simple. People meet at a location such as a bar or café and register as they come in. The women are usually seated at individual tables while the men are moved around the room. Each ‘date’ lasts for about five minutes. In this time the two people have a short conversation with the aim of finding out as much about each other as possible. After five minutes the men stand up and move on to the next table where they sit and talk to the person there. This continues until the men have sat at all the women’s tables. So, unlike online dating, people get to see each other as well as talk. As everyone is there with the same purpose – to find a date – nobody needs to feel embarrassed. Of course, speed dating probably isn’t very suitable for someone who is shy.