Matchmaking websites no guarantee to happiness

The Internet boom has provided not only an explosion of information, but also a breeding ground for social networking. People talk with their friends, get in touch with old ones, meet new people, and even find life partners online.

In recent years, matchmaking websites have become a popular channel for single people to find potential spouses. As many people have limited chances to meet new friends, matchmaking websites offer a convenient platform for users to find mates with qualified backgrounds.

China's biggest matchmaking website, jiayuan.com, now has over 63 million registered users, and other websites like baihe.com and zhenai.com have over 30 million registered users each.

But can everyone find love through online matchmaking?

An acquaintance of mine met a man through a matchmaking website a year ago, and his profile made her think he was in many aspects very good.

After several weeks of dating, she wanted him to meet her parents, but he refused, using various excuses. My friend began to suspect something was wrong, and after a while, the man admitted that he lied on his profile and that he is actually divorced and has a child.

Another friend of mine used to be an enthusiastic fan of matchmaking websites. She spent hours online every day searching for suitable candidates for marriage. She dated a number of men, several of whom were quite good matches in her opinion. However, none of the relationships lasted, and in the end she chose to marry her ex-boyfriend.

The only thing that online matchmaking gave her, she said, was a means to realize the merits of her ex.

But there are indeed a lot of successful cases. And that's one of the reasons that matchmaking websites are so popular.

However, there are also many cases of fraud. In recent years, an increasing number of cases were reported in which a man would pretend to be rich, well-educated or have a good job, like a position in a government department. Many women are attracted by these impressive profiles, but get cheated and end up losing a lot of money.

Since many women nowadays are more focused on a potential mate's job and income, fraudulent profiles make it easier for these men to get their prey. Moreover, some websites that boast elite members have become the target of such fraud. As it's hard to verify the authenticity of an online profile, scammers are more likely to get away with lying when they use these more prestigious sites.

We cannot say these women were cheated because of their vanity, as everyone wants a better life. If they cannot get it on their own, they can depend on their spouses. What's more, many users of matchmaking sites are under loads of pressure from family and friends to find a mate, and are eager to get married, making them less careful and sometimes blind when beginning a relationship.

The websites should take on more responsibility here. Besides pursuing profits, matchmaking websites need to verify the identities of their users. Recently, two of the country's biggest matchmaking websites, jiayuan.com and baihe.com, blamed each other for not verifying users' profile information and even allowing fake profiles.

Although this was likely a trick designed to snuff out market competition, it does show that there is some truth to the notion that matchmaking websites are not doing their job when it comes to protecting their customers' interests.

However, as there's currently no systematic regulation for the industry, it's difficult to force the sites to guarantee the honesty of their users.

Nevertheless, you can never rely on others to find your own happiness. Be rational and understand that happiness doesn't necessarily lie in material things, but rather in emotional connections and the two people's personalities. If everyone followed this perspective, there would be fewer disappointments and more beautiful marriages.