Do you have a date for Valentine’s Day?

| oleurrutia

Yes, February 14th…

3d-network-red-hearts-28269477[1]I thought something cheesy would be a great post for Valentine’s Day.  Valentine’s Day represents romantic connections.  A perfect example of a symmetric relationship in a simple network of two.  However, unless two people meet in a deserted island, this simple one-to-one network could not connect without the existence of a sophisticated network of family, friends and acquaintances.

Romantic connections could lead to marriage.  A discussion about this is even taken further in a blog post on Cultural Differences, Russell Peters, Arranged Marriages & Networks.  If parents could choose someone well-off with movie-star good looks, impressive intelligence, a perfect-match for our personality, terribly loyal and in love with the son or daughter, the choice would be all theirs!  Unless the ‘child’ is not ready (or already in-love), he or she would be insane to be an unwilling participant in that arranged marriage.

However, it is not that easy.  Finding a mate is an exercise in peer production.  Matchmaking relies on the self-organizing networks of family, friends and acquaintances to deliberately or perhaps accidentally bring two people together.  These collaborative networks are composed of linkages to family, communities, school, work, church or any other groups that we belong to.  In the past few years, online communities and dating sites have added another avenue besides these traditional social networks.  I remember (earlier on) individuals feeling embarrassed when they had to admit that they met their partners online.  However, that feeling of embarrassment is slowly diminishing as this phenomenon becomes even more common. (US Online Dating Statistics).

Now if I could wind-up this post by talking about something like the phenomenology, the semiotics, or the social psychology of love, I would really sound smart.  I just hope you enjoy your date with your significant other.  If you’re still looking for your mate, it’s the perfect time to get your peer production network to work.  Wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day!

3 thoughts on “Do you have a date for Valentine’s Day?”

  1. Leo, I love how you integrated our theories from MACT into Valentines Day theme! I would also add that Kadushin’s theory of social networking would fit here as well. As he argues that people join social networks to derive some kind of benefit. In this case having a romantic partner is there to satisfy personal needs. In any case, to answer your main question, yes, luckily I have a Valentine date.

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  2. I had a date for the first time in years. My partner and I (and the ones previous) avoided Valentine’s Day because of the cultural appropriation and commercialization. This year, however, we went out for a quiet dinner in the restaurant next door. We watched some Olympics, engaging with the telecommunications network and appreciating the massive multi-national networking undertaking that is the Olympics. Our waitress recommended drinks, which is a hint to her social network (if she likes the lemonade, her friends are likely to, as well, and, according to propinquity, me too. But I didn’t so much and went for a whiskey sour the next time.) One of the owners came over to bridge, ensuring we were having a good time, enjoying our food, and to let us know we could ask for anything.

    And, of course, I had to briefly reflect on LavaLife, the social network that got me my previous boyfriend who dumped me on 15 Feb 2010, but also allowed me to meet Dan, my partner, whose companionship has de-traumatised Valentine’s for me.

    I’m glad, Leo, that I’m not the only one who goes out and starts thinking about the connections between us all!

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  3. Thanks for the comments, Yulia & Rebecca! I’m glad you enjoyed your dates! To add another cheesy advice: “Make everyday Valentine’s day!”
    Seriously, may your simple symmetric one-to-one relationship be a strong and stable network with the support of all your connections. And if your network will allow, may it grow as many nodes as you want… 🙂

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