How Modern International Matchmaking Affects Ancient Traditions

No, matchmaking isn’t the manufacturing of matchboxes and safety matches. Well, it could be (in fact, it kind of is), but that’s not what we're referring to in this context.

What we are referring to is the oldest form of wingmanning. Wingmen have existed for as long as men themselves have.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, a “wingman” is that friend of yours who helps you meet and get acquainted with their female friends. That guy back in high school who always tried to make sure all his friends dated his other friends.

Little did that guy know that what he was doing was an ancient, primordial social function that carries the legacy of past civilizations and generations that came before.

For as long as people have been trying to mate, someone out there has been trying to figure out which two people should mate and why, in the context of their culture. But what for? What’s the greater significance of it all?

Well, it’s probably comparable to helping your fellow hunter-gatherer, well, hunt and gather. There’s just certain things that biological creatures do in order to thrive, and the most logical thing a sentient species could do in that regard would be to help others succeed, right?

Possibly. But it’s also much more complex than that. It’s a social phenomenon rooted in the individual cultures of civilizations and societies.

The practice of determining the compatibility between two potential partners is a tradition as old as time, and it has been performed in nearly every single culture throughout human history.

For some, it was a spiritual thing. For others, it was a business contract or merely a transfer of funds.

For some, it was a trade deal, while for others, it was a lifelong bond.

In some cultures, it served merely as a vessel for procreation - nothing more.

Pretty much everyone’s been doing it in their own shape, way, or form. It’s literally the same game every time, but with different players and different rules spanning different times and places.

In most ancient cultures, marriage was a pretty big deal. In fact, some of these cultures still see its importance and continue to practice it to this day.

But now, with the international matchmaking industry going strong, the online world has evolved into a medium that, for the most part, outdoes the traditional practices of old on a global scale.

But just how has the online dating world affected the traditions of certain cultures? Did it augment it, or did it outshine it?

Here’s a quick analysis on how this new tech changed up the dating dynamic in some cultures that were predominantly traditional for most of history.

It allows for progressiveness and an escape from oppressive cultural norms

A handful of places around the world still practice arranged marriage and traditional matchmaking - mainly in certain areas in the Middle East and throughout Asia.

Yes, the whole thing with dowries and bringing of 10 chickens and 2 cows as offerings to the bride’s parents and whatnot, that still happens in some remote areas in Pakistan as well as in India.

This is fine and all, aside from the fact that many of these cultures have no problem shunning and outcasting men and women if they refuse to date the specific person that their parents had arranged for them.

People have gone so far as to even attempt escaping their homelands and leaving their family homes to take charge of their own destiny and marry who they want, who they love, on their own terms.

Outside of political, economical, and cultural factors that are commonplace in the Asian, Islamic, and Hindu world, these forced unions between two people serve little to no purpose for the well-being of the soon-to-be-married couple (outside of combined wealth and status).

It’s a very tribal thing if you think about it - sacrificing your own individual welfare and desires for the sake of the entire tribe. This was the old normal in many places, and as strange as it may seem to us today, it was once widely accepted.

However, just because something is “traditional” and rooted in history does not make it any less of a violation of one’s basic human rights, which is why many organizations have criticized and even lobbied for the outlawing of this practice in the past.

Today, people from these cultures who have relocated to bigger cities now have the opportunity to date freely, with international dating serving as one of the mediums for them to explore their global options.

This effectively changes the forced aspect of marriage into a conscious decision, despite still being overseen and handled by matchmakers. This is why people from traditional arranged-marriage cultures tend to enjoy these services, as it’s a familiar dynamic, but with freedom of choice.

It fulfills their cultural pre-conditioning while allowing them the opportunity to choose whoever they want to date - which is a highly empowering and progressive step forward for people who escaped the oppression of their past.

It influences diversity in previously-exclusive societies

Some cultures discourage or look down on interracial or intercultural marriage, viewing relationships exclusively within their own culture as the only acceptable kind.

Historically, some of these cultures supported ethnic cleansing and believed in one superior race of humans that was the ideal standard for humanity - and obviously, it was their own.

A notable example of this was Nazi Germany and their belief in the Aryan race.

Today, this kind of thinking is more commonly observable in highly conservative, orthodox, or reclusive societies that tend to disassociate from the outside world.

With international matchmaking, people from these cultures can explore options well beyond what is feasible for them - albeit online. These matchmaking solutions can become a reality if a person migrates to a more progressive society to fulfill their dating desires.

We’ll conclude by saying that these are just two of the many ways that the ancient practices of prior cultures have benefited or progressed forward in a positive, humanitarian manner through the integration and proliferation of online dating opportunities that present themselves to thousands of people every day.

With that being said, it’s safe to assume that international matchmaking will continue to make the world a better place, uniting humanity and adding an extra interwoven layer of connectedness among each other as a species.

Thanks for reading and happy dating, everyone!