Used to be, only the terminally hopeless used things like Lonely Hearts columns or Introduction Services to find dates.

Used to be, you’d meet someone at work. Or you’d go out with a (mixed) group of people from work or school or University to a disco or a pub or a bowling alley or something, and meet someone there. You know, face to face, where you can read their body language or whatever, and it takes maybe an hour to decide who’s a jerk and who’s a nice person.

Have we all become so impatient that the first meeting has to be a date? Or so self-conscious that we can’t go out unless we have a date first?

I’m no longer a young man, and I’ve been happily married for over thirty years. It upsets me to see young folk sitting about, thumbing through their phones, looking for an ideal that doesn’t exist. You need to get yourselves out there, meet some actual people, and figure out their ‘profiles’ for yourself. Yes, you’ll make mistakes, but better a few awkward moments, with friends there to back you up or rescue you, than be sucked in by some psycho or creep with a knack for creating attractive online profiles!