Digi-Dating: Our Social Landscape

There are over 90,000 male mining employees in Australia, many on Fly in Fly out (FIFO) work rosters. What this really equates to for both single FIFO males and single females is less opportunity of meeting someone socially and lowers the prospect of finding that relationship. With high demand for workers from mining companies and many men turning towards FIFO careers for the financial benefits, the gender divide in cities and towns is becoming all too apparent.

As the working landscape continues to eat away at our social lifestyle we turn to technology to help us retain the diminishing physical human connection. We live in a time of increasing dependence on technology, accepting communication through a myriad of digital resources.

Embracing technology can provide us with a relatively quick and refined way of finding what we want, when we want. Once taboo, internet dating sites are flourishing in our changing social landscape. Longer working hours and shift work make socialising increasingly difficult and finding someone special even more challenging. Thousands of people are turning towards an online environment where they can browse profiles at their leisure, really get to know someone before meeting them and avoid the trawl through pubs and clubs on a Saturday night.

However, although we live in an age digi-dating, of technical communication ease, there are just some things that should never be emailed, messaged or texted. Some people believe that technology is encouraging a certain cowardliness, a certain guilt-free, emotion-free, one-way golden ticket to Outsville. Just because technology is in, does not mean traditional is out.

The DOs and DON'Ts of Digi-Dating

• Don’t send long-winded mobile texts. Do pick up the phone and call. It takes much less time and you won’t risk RSI.
• Don’t over-analyse texts/emails. Do pick up the phone and call if you’re confused. Females pay attention here.
• Don’t tell someone you love them for the first time over email/text. Do say it face to face.
• Don’t argue over text/emails. Do catch up and talk it over face to face. If you don’t, the whole thing can blow out of proportion.
• Don’t break up with someone over text/email. Do pick up the phone or arrange to meet. A digi-dumper is the ultimate coward.
• Don’t offer your whole life story in the first email if you are on a dating website. Do leave something to the imagination.
• Don’t expect instant gratification in the dating game. Do be ready for hit and misses. And then a keeper hit.
• Don’t write emails sexy or out of character just to gain interest if you are on a dating site. Do be yourself and move with the momentum.