Texting, Facebook and other social media tools are leading new couples to jump into bed faster, according to a survey by Shape and Men’s Fitness magazines.
According to a report by Reuters, the survey of 1,200 women and men found that 80 percent of women and 58 percent of men believed smart phones and laptops are the new toys that lead to the bedroom.
Texting is the favourite method for lovers to stay in touch, with 39 percent of men texting more often than using the phone. Women use texts 150 per cent more than the phone.
However, only 38 percent of women said they had actually slept with a date any sooner, due to digital intimacy.
Online dating is also enjoying huge growth, according to the study. Nearly 70 percent of women and 63 percent of men use Google and other online tools to screen potential dates.
65 percent of those polled said they had been asked out on a date by text and 49 percent through a Facebook message.
Once in a relationship, 72 percent of women said they scoured a current partner’s ex-girlfriends’ Facebook pages.
Even in the heat of passion, some people just can’t get leave their digital devices, according to the survey.
5 percent of respondents said they glance to see who is calling if a text comes in during sex, and 1 percent said they stopped to answer the phone.
The popularity of digital devices with the dating community has not gone unnoticed.
While once seen as the last resort for lonely geeks, much of the the stigma attached with online dating has disappeared. Even Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, reportedly maintained profiles on dating sites under the name of ‘Harry Harrison’.
Now online dating sites are upgrading their sites with new tools to engage participants.
AnastasiaDate.com, the Eastern European arm of online dating leader Anastasia International, which was set up to bring western men together with women from around the globe, recently announced an upgrade to its web portal, with a new, interactive online entertainment package dubbed ‘Live Games’ designed to be played real time between men and women.
Created as an additional plane of interaction to boost romantic interests, the initial release is comprised of Tic Tac Toe and 8 Ball, soon to be followed by a release of Battleship and Penalty. Users can open chat windows while playing games and choose their partners by inserting ID numbers of members they have chatted to while playing.
Entrepreneurs involved in the increasingly competitive online dating sector say they face daily challenges to acquire and keep users. The movement towards innovation and providing options for the user points to the integration of social networking tools as evidenced by the new additions at Anastasia.
Other companies are also making the online dating experience more interactive and transparent.
