Online dating has become a hot trend in today's society, with a growing number of sites and memberships each day. “First, individuals do not need to leave their homes or workplaces to date…Second, the anonymity feature of the Internet allows individuals to privately participate in dating without the surveillance of others or the fear of stigmatization. Third, interactive online dating allows customers to experience new forms of interaction…Fourth, online dating sites quickly deliver “perfect matches”” (Rege 494). What is online dating? “Online dating sites are Internet tools designed to facilitate “connections” between users who are seeking romantic and/or sexual partners” (Fullick 546). Dating networks have always existed, even before the Internet, but the Internet has allowed this network to develop rapidly. The problem with the Internet and online dating is anonymity and representing an identity online. To further my research, I will review several sources and studies to discuss the complexities of online dating. “The first major Internet dating website is widely considered to be the combination of kiss.com and match.com, both of which were registered by the same person in 1994 and 1995 respectively” (Azad et al. 2). During this period, most dating sites focused on international dating and “mail order bride” services. In 1996, Yahoo! had 16 dating sites listed, such as friendfinder.com and OneandOnly.com. In 1998, the film "You've Got Mail" began to change attitudes about the possibility of meeting someone on the Web and "present the Web as a tool for bringing people together" (Azad et al. 2). One of the challenges of online dating sites dates back to 2002, when Friendster and Myspace were launched. It was a challenge because “people could meet potential...... middle of paper ......iamson. “Dispositional Factors Predicting Online Dating Site Use and Online Dating-Related Behaviors,” Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 33, April 2014, Pages 113-118, ISSN 0747-5632, .Manning, Jimmie. “Online dating.” Encyclopedia of gender and society. Ed. Jodi O’Brien. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2009. 623-24. WISE knowledge. Internet. March 12, 2014.Rege, Aunshu;. “International Journal of Cybercriminology-Aunshul Rege – December 2009.” International Journal of Cyber ​​Criminology-Aunshul Rege - December 2009. Np, nd Web. March 28, 2014. .Whitty, Monica T., Baker, Andrea J. Inman, James A. Online Matchmaking. Ed. edited by Monica T. Whitty, Andrea J. Baker and James A. Inman. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, 2007. Web.