Online dating has been around for a while now. In fact, Match.com opened its proverbial doors in 1993.

I was a very early adopter of online dating, using JDate in 2000 or 2001, before people really had any idea what it was all about. My parents, naturally, flipped out, thinking I was going to meet some psychokiller, or worse, someone who wasn’t worthy of their daughter.

The worst that happened, of course, was a few bad dates with some socially awkward men … errr, boys who were clueless as to what dating actually involved. But why not try it out? I was technologically savvy. I mean, I did have a cell phone in college before anyone else did, even if it was this ridiculously large blue thing that I didn’t want anyone to know I had. (It was very uncool to have a cell phone back then.)

I thought we’d take a stroll down memory lane and compare online dating in the early 2000s with online dating today.

Then: Person 1: Um. I’m going on a date with this guy Steve.

Person 2: That’s great! Where did you meet him?

Person 1: Well, we haven’t actually “met” yet. I found him on JDate.

Person 2: What?!?! You’re not that desperate, are you? Geez — protect yourself! Tell me all the details. Let me know where you’ll be. I just hope you’ll be safe. You never know what psychos are hiding on those sites. Wow — I didn’t know anyone I knew would actually try online dating!

Now: Person 1: Um. I’m going on a date with this guy Steve.

Person 2: That’s great! Where did you meet him?

Person 1: On OkCupid.

Person 2: Cool! My sister met her husband on Match.com. Have fun!

Then: OMG — I think that guy across the room at the dessert table looked at my profile on (whisper) eHarmony. I can’t even look at him. How embarrassing!

Now: I think that guy and I matched on Coffee Meets Bagel (an online dating app) the other day. I think I’ll go say hi! Maybe it’ll speed up the process of him asking me out.

Then: Which four pictures should I use for my JDate profile? I guess I’ll have to upload the pictures from my new digital camera to my computer to post them on the site. Or, I guess I can scan some of the other ones I have. I hope it works.

Now: Which pictures should I use for my OkCupid, Hinge, and Tinder profiles? Let me check out some pics on Facebook and my phone to see which ones I want to use. Actually, I think there’s a really good one on Instagram that someone tagged me in!

Side note: I still recommend three to five photos.

Then: Person: How did you two meet?

Couple: Um. Well. Ha, ha. It’s a long story.

Now: Person: How did you two meet?

Couple (in unison): Online!

The stigma is gone, and online dating is here to stay. Daily Mail UK predicts that in 20 years, half of all couples will meet online and that this number may rise to 70 percent by 2040. If you’re not already playing the online dating game, now’s the time to give it a whirl. Why not?