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Elderly Turn To Internet To Find Love
Los Angeles Times
May 22, 2004
Americans aged 65 and above, armed with Viagra and high-speed modems, are the darlings of online dating services
Los Angeles - Online dating is turning grey. More than a million men and women over 65 years in the United States are testing the promise of computer-assisted love, according to an Internet tracking service.
Living longer than ever, and armed with Viagra and high-speed modems, American seniors are the new hot market for Internet dating services. Registrations by singles 65 and older grew 122 per cent last year on Match.com, one of the largest dating sites.
While friends, relatives and work are still the best way for older Americans to find a date, singles' groups and online matchmaking services are gaining popularity, a survey by AARP, America's largest retiree organisation, found last year.
Meanwhile, the number of older divorcees is on the rise. Census figures show that 7.4 per cent of the senior population was divorced in 2002, up from 5 per cent in 1990.
The singles trend is expected to explode after 2011, as the baby boomers enter their golden years with liberalised attitudes about sex and cohabitation.
At their peak, boomers will drive the over-65 population up to 25 per cent from under 13 per cent today.
Taking note, AARP last year added an advice column called 'Modern Love' to its magazine. On the magazine's website, readers can find tips on how to safely use online services and post their own dating stories.
On one message board, a woman recounted agreeing to meet a suitor for coffee and the shock of discovering it was her ex-husband.
The Internet can be an attractive way for seniors to find companionship, said Ms Trish McDermott, vice-president of romance for Match.com.
Lured by a lavish buffet of Internet dating sites, Mr Jack Luizzi, 75, said he had dated 50 women since his wife died five years ago. 'I specify women between 58 and 75, and they'll come up with 25 pages of women. Ten to a page,' said the retired manager.
Whether motivated by lust or loneliness, older adults like the convenience of online dating and the ability to tailor their search by age, geographic area and common interests, Ms McDermott said.
'Seniors are the most likely of our customers to say that hard work, compromise and perseverance, rather than magic, lead to lasting romance,' she added.
Older daters tend to look for partners who share interests. AARP's survey showed that older Americans are more active than ever and want someone who can share in outdoor and social activities, said Mr Ron Geraci, an editor at AARP The Magazine. And they do not necessarily see marriage as a goal.
Most commercial services allow anyone to see short profiles of their members for free. But to make contact, you have to pay a monthly fee ranging from US$25 (S$43) to US$50 and post your own profile.
Some websites monitor the courtship, at least in the initial phases, booting out problematic members and screening for foul language.
But veteran daters say it is pretty much 'buyer beware'. Internet daters notoriously shade the truth about weight, age and income, or just lie.
'They all lie about their age, by three to five years,' said Mr Luizzi. 'So I knock off five years just to get even.'
His current 'lady friend' is in her 80s and has been widowed three times, but is 'very well preserved', he said. 'She really passes for 60.'
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