Interview With Rebecca

(Rebecca is a nineteen year old student at SAIC, this is her first year at college.)
Q.What social networking sites do you currently belong to and how many hours per day do you suppose you spend on each of these?
A. Facebook and OkCupid - I spend about an hour each day on each of these websites, though that time is generally split up into smaller increments. (Note, as Rebecca's roommate, I am pretty sure that this time estimate is a gross understatement, but we will go by Rebecca's word...)
Q. Were you previously a member on any other social networking sites that you no longer belong to?
A. Yes, while I took a gad-year in Israel last year I had an account on the website "Are you Interested," which is a free international dating website, much like OkCupid. Also, I had a Myspace account. I stopped using Myspace because I found Facebook to be a more efficient alternative.
Q. Why did you initially become interested in online dating?
A. Well, I wasn't really looking to "fall in love." Rather, I was in search of interesting adventures. I made my account on "Are You Interested" spontaneously while I was living in Israel... at the time I found the idea giddy and exciting.
Q. And how did your friends in Israel react?
A. Initially they had a very negative reaction. When it came to my friends' attention that I had joined a "sheisty sounding" online dating community, and that I was indeed planning on meeting someone from the site they more or less bitched me out in public and called me "stupid." They were specifically worried about rape and danger. "But you don't know these people! They could be anyone!" Was their reaction. But that was exactly why I wanted to meet them - they could be anyone...Approximately one month later my friends sheepishly began to use the same dating site. Eventually they all pretty much became addicted to the site.
Q. Yeah, I find that groups of friends joining dating websites together seems to happen a lot. Once one friend joins, the act of online dating seems much less taboo to that individual's friends. So, did you end up meeting the guy in Israel?
A. Actually...no. I became nervous right before the date and it started to seem like less of a good idea. I was worried that he would have expectations of me that I didn't want to fulfill. It seemed likely that he just wanted sex.
Q. Let's talk about Skype. Why do you prefer talking on Skype rather than communicating on a phone?
A. I don't like talking on the phone because I feel it puts pressure on the speakers to have constant conversation. I don't feel like Skype forces you to do that because it is just like you're talking face-to-face with the person. The natural conversational pauses that occur don't feel as strange or awkward as they do over the phone. Basically, I just feel that Skyping is closer to having an in-person conversation than talking on the phone is. Also, you are able to observe how someone moves and speaks, as well as see the person's facial expressions, which makes the conversation more lively. It's a better tool for keeping in touch with people you don't get to see in person very often.
Q. Why did you create a profile on OkCupid? Did I influence you to do so because I had an account at the time?
A. Well, yes, you did influence me to some extent; I had never heard of the dating site before.
Q. Did you have different expectations upon making an OkCupid account than you did when you joined the Are You Interested community?
A. The culture and people on OkCupid are much different than the people using online dating in Israel...I don't really feel like I have the slight apprehension I initially had about meeting people from the internet. I suppose I have acquired a feeling of invincibility...I want to see what kind of people I can meet beyond those people who are introduced to me through my day-to-day activities. I don't want to feel limited to the people that are available for me to meet. The internet seems like a good opportunity to broaden the circle of people I have access to meet.
Q. Are you more romantically inclined to meet someone this time around?
A. Yes.
Q. What is your impression of most of the people you come across on dating websites?
A. Generally, most of the guys seem pretty egotistical and/or desperate. Most of the people I've met or video-chatted with do not seem to live up to their photos and/or their "internet persona."
Q. Does this surprise you?
A. No, not overall. But the fact that some of these people are SO dishonest on a case-to-case basis does surprise me a bit. Additionally, a lot of the guys seem totally uninterested in actually meeting women from the internet in-person.

So far Rebecca has met three men from OkCupid, and has one more prospect before she plans on deleting her account.

Update: Rebecca never deleted her account. She is still seeking adventure.