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A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance.


Structure

A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants. The two people who take part in the blind date may have never met or seen each other, hence the phrase "blind date". Therefore, it is the responsibility of the acquaintance who arranges the date to ensure that they are a good match. Sometimes one person is more interested in the match than the other, which may make it more difficult on the person arranging the date to judge whether the date will be successful. The date is usually two hours or less, as it is just a first date and is really meant to introduce the two people more than it is meant to create a marriage. Furthermore, due to the unfamiliarity of the two people the date is shorter than most because they are in the beginning stages of a relationship. The date is also very adventurous in the way that neither party knows what to expect and whether or not they will hit it off. The location of the date is also affected by the spontaneity in that it is often a neutral and public place so that both parties feel comfortable.


Online dating

Family and friends have been declining in their influence over the dating market for the past 60 years. In the past 15 years, the rise of the Internet has also displaced the neighborhood, the workplace, and the circle of friends as sources of dating partners. As of May 2013, it was estimated that 11% of adult Americans had used online dating websites or mobile dating applications, and 59% of American Internet users agreed that online dating was a good way to meet people (as of 2013). China's largest online dating site reported over 100 million users in September 2013. For couples that have been together for more than a year, the choice of venue (online vs.
real life Real life is a phrase used originally in literature to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds, and in acting to distinguish between actors and the characters they portray. It has become a popular term on th ...
) had little influence on relationship success. Online dating services ask questions in the form of a survey in order to get to know the user better and to understand what they are looking for in a relationship. Using the information given, the matching users would be found based on various
algorithm In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific Computational problem, problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specificat ...
s. The users are then enabled to communicate with each other. According to a study done by
Match.com Match is an online dating service with web sites serving over 50 countries in twelve languages. Its headquarters are in Dallas, Texas. The company has offices in Dallas, West Hollywood, San Francisco, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, and Beijing. Match is ...
, in an effort to determine how much impact their services are having on the way relationships develop today, "17% of couples married in the last 3 years, or 1 in 6, met each other on an online dating site" and "1 out of 5 single people have dated someone they met on an online dating site". There are thousands of online dating websites. The most popular ones are
eHarmony Eharmony (styled eHarmony) is an online dating website launched in 2000. eHarmony is based in Los Angeles, California, and owned by Nucom ecommerce, a joint venture of German mass media company ProSiebenSat.1 Media and American private equity ...
with 20 million profiles and
Match.com Match is an online dating service with web sites serving over 50 countries in twelve languages. Its headquarters are in Dallas, Texas. The company has offices in Dallas, West Hollywood, San Francisco, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, and Beijing. Match is ...
with 15 million profiles.


By country


China

Parents find their children blind dates in parks. "Spouse-hunting fairs in big city parks by parents eager to see their children tie the knot have made parks in China a haven for relationship hunters and their parents".
Zhongshan Zhongshan (; ) is a prefecture-level city in the south of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, China. As of the 2020 census, the whole city with 4,418,060 inhabitants is now part of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen conurbation with 65,565,622 i ...
Park has been the location for six years where parents go to seek partners for their children. This process begins by the parents sitting on a bench with their child’s credentials, such as photos and academic or career information. After information has been exchanged and the parents like what they see, questions are asked about anything ranging from their child’s zodiac sign to their place of residence. If everything runs smoothly during the second step, contact information is exchanged. This process altogether can be very stressful for the parents and the child because they are not always in agreement. This makes it even more difficult for a partner to be found. Li, a middle-aged man who has experienced blind dating says he has met women "who have no intention of finding a boyfriend. Meeting me is merely to indulge their parents".


South Korea

South Korean blind dating customs are preferred rather than other dating techniques. There are two kinds of blind dates in South Korea: "mee-ting" and "sogeting". Mee-ting blind dates are group dates with no prior expectations of commitment, and are often used by university students. A sogeting date usually includes less alcohol than a mee-ting date. It is also engaged in by people who are "single and looking".


Examples in popular culture


Television

*''
Parental Control ''Parental Control'' is a reality television show about people looking for love produced by MTV. The two directors, Brendon Carter and Bruce Klassen, have also created other MTV shows. In Asia, this show was aired on Channel V from 2007–2009. ...
'' - An MTV reality show where parents pick two dates for their son or daughter. The parents ask the candidates a series of questions in order to pick the best two. After each of the dates the son or daughter chooses whether they would like to stay with their current significant other or if they would like to start a new relationship with one of the blind dates. *'' Blind Date Australia'' - An Australian dating game show produced by
Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production and distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Entertainme ...
. The show has the same format as the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
and
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
versions of the show and was first aired in 1967 with
Graham Webb Graham Paul Webb (13 January 1944 – 28 May 2017) was an English racing cyclist who became the world amateur road race champion in 1967. In response to a journalist's shouted comment that the last British amateur world road champion had b ...
hosting. The show has had a number of hosts over its years including
Graham Webb Graham Paul Webb (13 January 1944 – 28 May 2017) was an English racing cyclist who became the world amateur road race champion in 1967. In response to a journalist's shouted comment that the last British amateur world road champion had b ...
(in 1967–1969), Jeremy Cordeaux (1970), Bobby Hanna (1974), Greg Evans (1991) and
Julia Morris Julia Carolyn Margaret Morris (born 20 April 1968) is an Australian comedian, television presenter and actress who has worked extensively in Australian television and radio, touring the country with her solo comedy shows. She relocated to the Un ...
, who is the current host of the rebooted show which began in October 2018 with its seventh season. The show currently airs on
Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
at 8:30 pm on Wednesdays. *'' Blind Date UK'' - A British dating game show produced by London Weekend Television. An unscreened pilot was made with comic Duncan Norvelle as presenter but it was eventually hosted by Cilla Black, who already hosted the LWT series, Surprise Surprise. Blind Date ran on Saturday nights from 30 November 1985 to 31 May 2003. *'' Blind Date USA'' - An American dating game show, created by John Degnan, that aired in syndication from September 20 1999 to September 1 2006. Hosted by Roger Lodge, the series was distributed by Universal Worldwide Television. *'' The Choice'' - an American television show where male celebrities sit with their backs facing a stage. The female contestants then have a specific amount of time on stage to win the affection of the male celebrities. If the men are interested, they turn their chairs. At the end of each show, the men choose a woman to go on a date with. *''
The Dating Game ''The Dating Game'' is an American television game show that first aired on December 20, 1965, and was the first of many shows created and packaged by Chuck Barris from the 1960s through the 1980s. ABC dropped the show on July 6, 1973, but it ...
'' - A game show created by
Chuck Barris Charles Hirsch Barris (June 3, 1929 – March 21, 2017) was an American game show creator, producer, and host. Barris was known for hosting ''The Gong Show'' and creating ''The Dating Game'' and ''The Newlywed Game''. He was also a songwrite ...
where a single woman would sit on one side of a wall and three bachelors would sit on the other side. Each male participant would answer questions from the woman and at the end of the show, she would choose a candidate to go on a blind date with. This game even prompted its own board game line. *'' The Bachelor'' - An American television show which started in 2002 where a single man goes on blind dates with 25 women who wish to become his wife. The women live together in one household and are competing in an elimination game for a rose, an invitation from the bachelor to stay another week. This show has prompted other spin-off shows like ''
The Bachelorette A bachelorette is an unmarried woman. Bachelorette may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Bachelorette'', a reality television dating show part of ''The Bachelor'' franchise with numerous versions: ** ''The Bachelorette'' (American TV ser ...
'', '' Bachelor Pad'' and '' Bachelor in Paradise''. *''
The Amazing Race 26 ''The Amazing Race 26'' is the twenty-sixth season of the American reality television show ''The Amazing Race''. In this season, eleven teams of dating couples (six existing couples and five blind date teams who met for the first time at the star ...
'' - In a departure from the regular format of the program, 10 single contestants were matched into 5 couples (4 heterosexual couples and a homosexual couple) based on compatibility tests in what was billed by producers as ''The most extreme blind date''. These 5 couples were joined by 6 couples in a pre-existing relationship.


Film

*''
Blind Date A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance. Structure A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants. The two people who take part in the blind ...
'' - A 1934 American film starring
Ann Sothern Ann Sothern (born Harriette Arlene Lake; January 22, 1909 – March 15, 2001) was an American actress who worked on stage, radio, film, and television, in a career that spanned nearly six decades. Sothern began her career in the late 1920 ...
and Neil Hamilton *''
Blind Date A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance. Structure A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants. The two people who take part in the blind ...
'' - A 1987 American movie where Walter Davis (Bruce Willis) gets set up on a blind date with Nadia (Kim Basinger) by his brother so he can have a date to his office party. *''Go-Con! Japanese Love Culture'' - A 2000 Japan film *''
Blind Date A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance. Structure A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants. The two people who take part in the blind ...
'' - A 2015 French film starring Mélanie Bernier and Clovis Cornillac. *'' Man Up'' - A 2015 British-French romantic comedy starring
Lake Bell Lake Siegel Bell (born March 24, 1979) is an American actress, screenwriter and director. She has starred in various television series, including ''Boston Legal'' (2004–2006), '' Surface'' (2005–2006), ''How to Make It in America'' (2010–2 ...
and
Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. H ...
. The film follows a single 34-year-old woman, who after being mistaken for a stranger's blind date, finds the perfect boyfriend in a 40-year-old divorcé.


See also

*
Speed dating Speed dating is a formalized matchmaking process which has the purpose of encouraging eligible singles to meet large numbers of new potential partners in a very short period of time. Organization Usually advance registration is required for ...
*
Online dating Online dating, also known as Internet dating, Virtual dating, or Mobile app dating, is a relatively recent method used by people with a goal of searching for and interacting with potential romantic or sexual partners, via the internet. An onlin ...


References

{{Authority control Dating Intimate relationships