We really believe that online dating is a wonderful thing. Here's why. It meets society's changing needs. In the past, finding love meant recognizing which girl or boy in your village you were most attracted to; you'd known them since childhood and when you both reached marriageable age, you paired off-and that was it for life. But nowadays, however, because of shifting relationship patterns and higher divorce rates, we have not just one but several stages in our lives where we want to find love-yet we live in fluctuating communities, we live busy lives, and we have less opportunity to meet potential partners. Online dating-with its ease, in huge numbers-has stepped up to fill that gap.