“You want me to do what?!”

Robert:
My friend recently was startled when his date—on their way home to sex from their second date —asked him to deactivate his internet dating profile. In fact, she proposed they remove their profiles together. Is there a word for this? And it's a ritual? People can now lock in dating partners with the same impulsive ease they use to make other decisions: finding the right book, the right shirt, or the right beer. “You’re it!”—she should’ve screamed, stopping at the corner store on the way home for a toothbrush and a wedding rag. (Condoms, too, to be safe—and a box of tissue because there will be tears aplenty when he turns your crazy ass down.)

However, I’m intrigued by the issues raised about how long one remains active on the internet dating world. Presumably, if you’re inciting interest every week, to not remove your profile after you’ve met someone appealing means you’ll either be turning down a lot of dates or draining interest and energy from the one you really want. (The naughty boy in me also wonders if you can simply modify your profile at this point to note an interest in threesomes or make your profile unsearchable, just in case.) Ultimately, my friend bedded her, then days later sent her a quick email that ceased future interactions. There's a lesson here: If the Internet can so readily confirm the strength of a relationship, it’s also far more likely it’ll be used to end one.