Has dating become a business in this modern era? Mail order brides, thousands of online dating sites, agencies which set up dates, etc, all this done to suck money from people.

And what's your point? If there's a market, there'll be a business. If there wasn't demand, it wouldn't flourish. Simple as that.
I think that market has come to life in the 60s, just that now with the enormous amount of divorcees and internet, it has gotten a major boost.
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Perhaps one can 'compare' dating to business.. you know, the time management, the causes and effects, the costs, the decision making, establishing contacts/networking, profits & losses.., etc.

Dating is a business venture for the ones running dating sites and agencies ect.
You as a user, could possibly be contributing to the business by being part of it. Some online businesses focus on how much traffic they can generate

Yup, perhaps the dating scene. Is turning into a business venture , there is a market , so why not..personally, at this stage in life, after all this window shopping , if I ever get the right girl. No way , I am going to return her, if all the warranties and gaurantees expire???

If you'd study more history, you'd know that "dating" and mating has ALWAYS been a "business."

As far back as we have records, there have been people whose job or task of the moment, was to find a mate for someone else.

The only thing that's changed over the years, is how, and how frankly, people have talked about the whole process.

And the technology.

One thing that might be too subtle for some people to notice, is that Online dating/matchmaking businesses don't make money from finding us mates or dates. They make their money from creating a venue, and/or selling advertising in the venue.

In years passed, the venues were more physical than virtual, so the people using them, developed different techniques and strategies to make use of them, which were designed around the fact that they WERE physical. We had to learn to dress "hot" and dance, when the venue was a dance hall of some kind. We had to learn to drink and or smoke, to make use of bars. And we had to learn to pretend not to know how to choose fresh vegetables, to make use of grocery stores.

We developed different Online techniques and strategies, but we are still the same basic kind of people we always were, and we still struggle with the same concerns. Online only SEEMS different, because we developed different lingo, and do things in a different ORDER than we did in the physical venues.

But ALL the venues have been turned into businesses, from the beginning.

Depends on how pedantic you want to be with the definition.
If you want the meaning to be "a relationship, process, or business developed solely for the sake of financial gain," then to some it is to others it's not, as "dating" is a pretty broad term that could include scammers sitting in Africa coming up with "dating" cons, to some arm candy marrying a retiree for the sake of their fortune.

If you take it to mean "a relationship, process, or business developed for the sake of personal gain" then you can pretty much define anything people do as a business venture.


Farms, water bottlers, clothing designers, house builders, all these dirty scum set up businesses to suck money from people just looking to feed, clothe, and home themselves.

Kind of implied in the thread is the idea that you possibly:
1. See money as its own reward rather than as a tool for utility.
2. The more money you can keep from slipping from your hands the more you "win."
3. It's important to your identity and people that ask if of you are asking for a piece of you.

You understand a point of money is to receive it in exchange for what you are most efficient at producing in order to get the goods and services produced by those that are more efficient at things you are less efficient at?

The only time you "waste" money or it really gets "sucked up" from you, is if you personally choose to use it for means of emotional gratification without ever exploring alternatives or trying to determine your own efficiency at something?

No... this has been on going since the beginning of time.

There are still paid matchmakers and now there are dating sites.

IMHO just another step in the evolution of progression of mankind and technology...

Some dating sites ask you to pay and they make money off you the customer and their ads. Some offer the user no charges unless they want to upgrade their account and make the money off of the ads that are placed on their site.

The quote "there are other fishes in the market" works great with this kind of business. Anyway my point is not the evolution or the technology but the cheaters and scammers which are there just to suck your money dry. Is it not the responsibility of the agencies which charge so much money to do the background check and other related details evaluation before recommending?

Dating is a busines! and business is good..wink..lol

I always love checking out a woman's business portfolio.

Well not business but portfolio of women are interesting. They really don't know what they want..