Online dating: Transformations of marriage arrangements through digital media technologies in Australia's Indian community

Marriage and migration are twin global forces that have reshaped Australia's identity from a white nation to a multicultural melting pot. India has become the largest contributor to immigration in Australia, with 710,380 permanent migrants. Indians are Australia's second largest migrant community (after England), equivalent to 9.5% of Australia's overseas-born population (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021). This study, built within the context of a postmodern society that is networked, mobile and global, examines the use of new media technologies in finding a marriage match, known to the Indian diaspora as a way of life. The research seeks to understand the sociological impacts of hyper communication, especially the use of dating sites and social media platforms such as Facebook, in forming intimate relationships online. This chapter evaluates the aspirations among the Indian diaspora to maintain cultural identities through marriage (which also feeds migration) by seeking life partners with similar background via online dating websites. Globalisation, while opening a world of possibilities, simultaneously helps to lock the Indian community into its own cultural cluster through online dating and marriage. Using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), the community is basking in this newfound freedom to pick and choose, reinforcing the centuries old tradition of ensuring compatibility when forming relationships. Levels of education, professional status and family values stand out as key attributes being sought by men and women who engage on the dating sites in this study. This study builds on earlier research (Chand, 2012) that presents the fabric of family as vital to the Indian social structure. This study is important as it attempts to understand the cultural negotiations specific to the Indian diaspora, which is vibrant and growing in the Australian landscape. The influence of Bollywood, which has enraptured Western societies, coupled with India's resurgence as a superpower, adds value and significance to this research which provides an understanding of the importance of marriage to Indians. This research is timely and relevant to the public, including Western societies, which not too long ago saw 'matchmaking' as backward.