The old-fashioned way may have a better method to get to know one another.
I have been reading up other writers’ words on the online blogging community of Medium these past few months, and I realized that it feels like I have come to know the writers there as a person as they share their hearts and thoughts out loud in writing. I have even become fond of some of them, as to how a person grows to know and like someone over time and when given more exposure to each other.
In short, I like you.
I like your writing and I like who you are when you write.
It makes sense to me how some people can get attracted to and maybe even to some extent fall in love with someone through their writing. Back in the day, writing letters was an in-thing where one can express themselves to each other over long-distance. Then the nineties came and emails and online chat groups were formed, again, another way of interaction in writing instead of physical meet-ups and in-person conversations.
It is refreshing to be able to put thought to your words before expressing them out in written form, and even I find myself more articulate when I write compared to when I talk on the spot with someone. This may be due to the fact that writing forces intentionality in your speech and you need to deliberately choose your words to bring your point across well. For example, I can be awkward in person and my words can often fumble, but with writing, it becomes more intentional and directed. Even if you wrote incorrectly, there is always the delete button to correct your wording or rephrase them before clicking publish.
Now, of course, I understand there are dangers to these indirect forms of communication online as well, as for all I know some of them may be putting on a persona online and may not be straightforward as to who they are, so readers still need to be wary. However, apart from that, I think that the majority of those who blog online and on Medium have been pretty genuine with their words and to themselves.
So maybe for some of you singles out there, you might want to consider giving writing a shot. Get to know someone through their words first, and then view them in person.
Maybe a good follow-up question to ask yourself is, which would matter more to you, who the person is or their physical appearance?