Stupid Cupid: 5 in 10 Singaporean singles seek 'The Right One' online

Hoping to fall in love at first byte.

According to a survey on dating habits byLunch Actually, a dating agency in Asia, singletons are most likely getting to know their potential dates online before they actually meet.

The rise in pervasiveness of social media and fast-speed broadband has altered the way singles find love, with 51% in Singapore trying online dating, to more than 70% tracking the digital footprints of their potential dates - 'e-stalking'.

This was announced today at a media conference where Lunch Actually shared intriguing figures from their biennial regional dating survey. The survey of more than 1,900 people across three markets in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia was conducted in January 2013. Of the 788 respondents from Singapore, 79% were aged 26 to 40 and 66% were degree holders or above.

E-stalking mostly on Facebook

Some of the other results that surfaced shed light on where singles go to e-stalk potential dates. Social media site Facebook turns up tops, with 36% of Singaporean women and 33% of Singaporean men surveyed admitting that they will check the Facebook profiles of their potential dates. As many as 5% would Google search their potential date and see what gets tossed up.

"What is interesting is whilst many are e-stalking their potential dates, many are not conscious that they are also being e-stalked as well," said Violet Lim, CEO and Co-founder of Lunch Actually and author of best seller, 'Lessons From 15,000 First Dates'. "It is therefore important in this new normal, for people to clean up their social media walls or change privacy settings to ensure that they would not lose a potential date even before actually going on the date!"

Online Dating on the rise

The Lunch Actually Dating Survey also saw a spike in the number of people using online dating to find love. This could be due to a greater amount of trust in online dating as people become savvier online, together with the greater number of people online with smart-phones and tablets.

This upward trend was observed across all three countries, with Singapore recording a 25% increase from 2009 (26% in 2009 to 51% this year).

eSynchrony, one of the online dating services under the Lunch Actually Group has witnessed more than 400% growth since its launch in 2010. "As online dating sites become more attuned to the needs of singles such as profile verification and site effectiveness, and adapt their dating platforms to align with what singles are looking for, it is evident that more singles are beginning to be more receptive to online dating," Lim observed.

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