Image courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons
Last summer, news outlets haunted us with the eruption of the “Weiner-Gate Scandal,” demonstrating another instance where technology affects almost every facet of modern life. It affects life even more so in relationships. One in five modern relationships starts online, on sites like J-Date and eHarmony, and it’s never been easier to do the once-forbidden long-distance thing thanks to skype dates. We hear fairytales of formal dates our parents went on while they were courting, but a simple text of “?” and your current location at 2am will now suffice.
Phones with 3G have taken this even further. Most have some sort of basic Internet connection, creating even more instant accessibility to each other. Facebook messaging can be done on the way to the party, or you can check in to FourSquare once you’re there and tweet about if it’s any good.
Say you meet a prospect at a shindig, but you don’t manage to secure their number. You want to seal the deal and need to find a new way to make it happen. The standard booty call may not be possible. But have no fear, my friends! You saw them shoot their buddy a quick text on their iPhone, Droid, Blackberry, or whatever smartphone is the flavor of the week, so you may not be out of luck. The magic of a 3G network creates a constant stream of Internet feed.
Pause for a second: what information did you get? You try typing their name in on Facebook, but it’s a no-go. You hope they were a MySpace kid, so you check there, too – still nothing. Twitter, Blogspot, even freaking LinkdIn – you’ve searched the web high and love with no avail.
But wait, there’s one last hope: You know what school they go to.
That’s right folks, your college website. Think about it: How do you track down your professors? That same directory can be used to easily (and sometimes creepily) find most of your peers. Type in their first and/or last name, and within seconds you have their school email address.
So now you’ve finally figured out how to get a hold of that new potential lover. Shoot ’em a quick email with your apartment number and maybe after all of your effort, you’ll be getting lucky.