Today, dating apps and websites comprise a majority of the interactions. Then came AOL messaging and Craigslist ads. But since the early 2000s, the Internet has almost completely taken over the world of personal advertisements. Personal ads gained momentum again in the late 1990s, much due to the Internet. At least that is what the police tended to think, and they only stopped prosecuting lonely hearts ads in the late 1960s - until then they often thought that they were mainly placed by prostitutes and gay men.” “In Britain, the personal column was suspected (much like the Internet is now) of harboring all sorts of scams, perversities and dangerous individuals. Cocks, author of Classified: The Secret History of the Personal Column, describes: It soon became a trend but skepticism over the legitimacy of these ads faltered shortly after.Īs H.G. It was not until the 20th century, however, when these advertisements broke into the mainstream. Long before the internet when homosexual couples were forced to keep quiet about their relationships, newspapers enabled gay and lesbian people to meet through matrimonial and personal advertisements. Thankfully, with modern technology, we now have apps and websites that provide an entire pool of potential matches. This technology has forever altered the way we date and the ease with which we do so.įor gay men, these apps have opened up a completely new world. There is no doubt that dating is challenging.