Marriage

Marriage is a social, religious, spiritual, emotional and/or legal union of individuals that creates kinship. This union may also be called matrimony, while the ceremony that marks its beginning is usually called a wedding and the married status created is sometimes called wedlock. Marriage is an institution in which interpersonal relationships (usually intimate and sexual) are acknowledged by the state, by religious authority, or both. It is often viewed as a contract. Civil marriage is the legal concept of marriage as a governmental institution, in accordance with marriage laws of the jurisdiction. If recognized by the state, by the religion(s) to which the parties belong or by society in general, the act of marriage changes the personal and social status of the individuals who enter into it. People marry for many reasons, but usually one or more of the following: legal, social, emotional, and economic stability; the formation of a family unit; procreation and the education and nurturing of children; legitimizing sexual relations; public declaration of love.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Does Internet dating enhance marriage, or undermine it?

Hey there.
Today we're celebrating the launch of two new story-driven websites, Meeting Online and How We Die. They're part of a multimedia project which we hope will culminate in a new TV series unlike anything that's on the air right now.
We'll write a little more about the project in a future posting, but right now we want to commemorate the launch of the websites by kicking off a discussion that ties into the topic of one of the sites.
Does Internet dating enhance marriage, or undermine it? Some might say "enhance" because of all the marriages that have resulted from people meeting online. Others might argue that, by making it easier for people to meet casually, there's a lot more sleeping around and a lot less long-term relationship-building.
What do you think? And if you have any personal experiences -- or know other people who do, give us an example or two!

Labels: ,

posted by Marc at 3:18 PM

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

To some degree online dating feels similar in experience to online shopping. which is weird. but if you are not meeting people in other ways, then you really have nothing to lose. there are certainly people looking to meet someone online with goal of getting married. but once you get into it, it can be hard to know how much time to give someone, since there are usually many options. if marriage as an institution is on the wane in our culture, then i find it highly doubtful that online dating will play a role in reversing that trend. I think the broader issue is about whether traditional marriage is the only legally recognized relationship. commitments can take many forms and children can be raised in any caring setting.

July 2, 2009 4:07 PM  

Post a Comment

Links to this post:

Create a Link

<< Home

Web Lab is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing innovative Web-based projects that bring fresh perspectives and new voices to the discussion of public issues. Our goal is to use the Web as a positive, transformative force in people's lives and in society at large.

What's Happening at Web Lab:
Meeting Online - Share Your Story

How We Die - Share Your Story

> Gun Stories
> First Person Plural
> More about Small Group Dialogues
> Our newsletter: read | subscribe
> Make an online donation

Some of Our Clients & Partners:
> Viewpoint Learning
> MSNBC.com
> PBS
> WebCrossing
> AmericaSpeaks