On the eve of Valentine day, BBC World Service poll of 19 countries brought forward some sepctacular findings. Three in ten across the world believe that internet is a good place to find a boy/girl friend. Surprisingly, the largest numbers of respondenst who believe in this usage of internet are from Pakistan (60%) and India (59%). The least support for this idea is in U.S, South Korea and Britain.
In general the more developed nations are comparatively less enthusiastic about the usage of internet for dinding the spouse. This is quite a puzzle that maximum support is in Pakistan- a society which is generally considered as vulnerable to extremist ideas probably becuase by and large it is a traditional society. One would expect that highest support for this idea in the Musim world might have been in Turkey, being an advanced and liberal society but it is not the case, almost six in ten disagree with this usage of internet in Turkey.
Thinking of India & Pakistan in a larger context suggest that both share history & to a large extent customs and culture. Both stand unmatched in their support for this idea. Does it mean that this high level of support refer to the changing attitudes of their youth towards their traditional marriage systems? May it be considered as a reaction to the traditional system? People in developing countries generally appreciate 'change'. They attach high hopes with the 'change'. As it is a new way of selecting spouse, that is probably the reason of its popularity among indo-pak respondents?
@zubair. In my opinion, there is a lot of truth in what you say in the first part of your last paragraph [a reaction against tradition]. If we just stop and think about it a bit more, we'll find:
ReplyDelete1. Traditional methods are long drawn, costly, involve too many people, and once started they are very difficult to stop. The hopeful partners also have minimum contact & control over the situation.
2. Virtual, internet-based search for a spouse is the opposite of (1). It allows perceived unprecedented choice and control and to a certain extent a degree of 'promiscuity' and freedom to change your mind at any moment, and without fuss. You can cancel everything in minutes without serious consequences.
3. It won't be long before the populations of India & Pakistan combined will reach 2 billion. Sheer numbers, poverty, very busy lives, etc. make the Internet an attractive option.
Finally, marriage in the West is severely in decline anyway. But the internet is used by millions for porn, casual sex, adultery etc. That is something obvious, but not always admitted in a survey. You'll find that statistically, there are more people using the internet for haram/illicit nikah in the West than the serious search for a partner elsewhere.
BACK2MYROOTS
The fact of the matter is that the internet is increasingly becoming a new sphere not just to seek knowledge but a meeting point for social connection. Pakistanis are facing tough times and naturally every stressed person will want a relaxation in which the internet tends to be providing. Thus, to find Pakistanis and Indians on top of the list of internet users, seeking partners is no surprise but a new channel for those having no chance in the real life, but finding the virtual life to socialize.
ReplyDeletewell it came to my mind that though Chinese are more in number than anyone else but probably the highest number of respondents on this subject can be explained by the fact that Indian and Pakistani know 'English", that's y they are inlclined towards this medium.
ReplyDeleteAnd what BACK2MYROOTS said people in the west use internet for casual sex and porns is also comparable with this high number of respondents in India & Pak.