[tool:灯里的歌词滚动姬]
[00:00.000]"So, where did you guys meet?" “
[00:02.606]New couples often face this question from eager friends who are keen to hear about the beginnings of their love story.
[00:09.292]Increasingly, the answer is "on the internet".
[00:12.584]Online dating is a booming industry, worth an estimated 2.5 billion pounds across the world.
[00:20.455]So what is it that is making so many of us turn to our computers to find love?
[00:26.151]In the past, love may have blossomed in the workplace or in the pub
[00:30.644]and some brave individuals may even have agreed to be set up on a blind date.
[00:35.923]But nowadays, busy lifestyles and the popularity of online social networking have changed our attitudes towards romance.
[00:44.054]Internet dating websites have become popular as a way of searching for the perfect mate.
[00:51.054]People who use the sites can search profiles of hundreds of single people,
[00:55.043]and with just a few clicks can see instantly whether someone is attractive or not.
[01:02.653]But are we becoming too dismissive of potential dates?
[01:06.536]Site users can make snap judgments based on people's profile pictures
[01:11.186]and don't consider whether they may actually have real things in common.
[01:16.132]For this reason, some sites place more importance on personality tests rather than pictures to match users who may be compatible.
[01:26.146]On one British site, single people complete a test of 250 questions
[01:31.004]before the site uses complex algorithms to select suitable partners.
[01:37.570]Of course, for some people, regardless of the technology,
[01:41.262]the whole process is distasteful - like 'shopping' for a partner.
[01:45.893]But as the growth in the sector shows,
[01:48.402]there are plenty of singletons who don't have time for such romantic ideas, and are more than happy to pay Cupid for a strike.