Do you have a date for Valentine’s Day?

Yes, February 14th…

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!