31/10/2016 ComputerDatinginthe1960s|TheComputerBoysTakeOver

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ComputerDatinginthe1960s
March5,2014nathanen6Comments

Slate.comrecentlypublishedaninterestingarticlebyanIndianaUniversitygraduatewhoin1966createdProjectFlame,anearlycomputerdatingservice.Students
wouldfilloutapunchcardquestionnaire,butwerenotactuallymatchedusingacomputer.Instead,heandhisfriendsrandomlyshuffledthecardstogethertoprovide
theillusionofcomputerizedexpertise.

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31/10/2016 ComputerDatinginthe1960s|TheComputerBoysTakeOver

AlthoughProjectFlamemighthavebeenafraud,1966wasaformativeyearforcomputerdating.ThearticlereferencedabovefromLookmagazinedescribesOperation
Match,acomputerizeddatingsystemdevelopedbytwoHarvardundergraduates,JeffTarrandVaughnMorrill.1Withinafewmonths,OperationMatchreceived8,000
applicantsfromnearbyuniversitiesandcolleges,52%ofwhomwerewomen.(LikeearlyFacebook,thetargetaudiencewastheIvyLeagueandassociatedschools:
Harvard,Yale,Vassar,Amherst,William,MountHolyoke).Withinninemonths,TarrandMorrillhadattracted90,000applicantsandgrossed$270,000,allusingrented
computertime.AnalternatesystemcalledContactwasstartedatMITbyDavidDeWan.Hissystemdrew11,000applicants.

Interestingly,theLookarticleendsbytalkingabouttheneedformutualdeceptionwithinthecomputerdatingenvironment:

Boyshavediscoveredthatthereismoretogettingthegirloftheirdreamsthanorderingablonde,intelligent,wealthy,sexuallyexperiencedwench.They
mustalsotrytoguesswhatkindofboysuchagirlwouldrequest,anddescribethemselvestoconformtoherdata.Thefuturesuggestsitself:theboyanswers
artfully.Agirldoestook.Thecomputerwhirs.Theyreceiveeachothersname.Breathlessly,theymakeadate.Theymeet.Theystopshort.Therethey
are:PlainJaneandSoSoSol.Twoliars.Buttheyare,afterall,exactlyalike,andtheyhavebeenmatched.Itisthecomputersmomentoftriumph.

Afteraflurryofmediacoverageoftheseandsimilarsystems,thecomputerdatingfadofthemid1960sseemstohavequieteddownquickly.2

Bytheearly1970s,thefocushadturnedtothedarksideofcomputerdating,includingfraud,misrepresentation,andviolationsofprivacy.3

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PerhapsthemostbizarretwistfromthisperiodwasaTimesSquarebooksellerwhouseditscustomerdatatostartitsowncomputerizeddatingservicewithouttheir
customersknowledge.TheysetupadialadateserviceadvertisingGirlsGalore.Womenwhofoundthemselvesbesiegedbycallsfromstrangersexperienced
anxietyandfear.Thefirstexampleofcomputerrelatedstalking,perhaps?4

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UPDATE:anobviousquestiontoaskaboutcomputerdatinginthisperiodiswhy1966?

Theshortanswertothisquestionisthatthisisthelate1960swastheheydayofthecomputerutility.Thesewereservicesthatalloweduserstorenttimeonashared
mainframecomputer,generallyviaaremoteterminal.Thepracticalupshotwasthatentrepreneurswhowantedtoprovidecomputerbasedservices,butwhodidnothave
theresources(ordesire)toowntheirowncomputer,couldrenttimeviaacomputerutilitysuchasTymshare,UniversityComputing,GEInformationSystems,orthe
ServiceBureauCorporation.

Theeraofthecomputerutilitywasshortlived,asthedifficultiesassociatedwithwritingtimesharingsoftware(seemyrecentpostonWhySoftwareisHard)and
competitionfromlowcostminicomputersdemolishedtherevenuemodelsofthecomputerutility.Bythesecomputerutilities,howevertransitory,representedan
importantmomentinthedemocratizationofcomputing.AsoneprofessorintheMITSchoolofManagementdescribeditin1964,thevisionofanonlineinteractive
computerservice,providedcommerciallybyaninformationutilityascommonplaceasthetelephoneserviceistodaywasacompellingone,andwouldbe
recreated,viatheInternet,inlaterdecades.5

Intermsofthehistoryofcomputerdating,theexistenceofthecomputerutilitiesdramaticallyreducedthebarriersofentryintocomputerbasedservices.Thesuddenrise
ofmultipledatingservicesin1966areanythingbutacoincidence.

ANOTHERUPDATE:

YoutubevideoonaLondonbasedcomputerdatingservice(alsocalledOperationMatch)

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London - Computer Marriages Aka Operation ...

Hattip:AlexBochannek

1.GeneShalit,Newdatingcrazesweepscampusboygirlcomputer,LookMagazine,February22,1966
2.RussellBaker,AutomationComestoLove:ComputerizedMating,NewYorkTimes,Feb10,1966
3.StevenRoberts,Often,ComputersSpoilCupidsAim,NewYorkTimes,Dec25,1970
4.StoresSellNamesOfWomenUsingDatingComputers,NewYorkTimes,Jul30,1968
5.MartinGreenberger,quotedinCampbellKelly,Aspray,Ensmenger,andYost,Computer:AHistoryoftheInformationMachine(WestviewPress,2013)

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PreviousPostWhysoftwareishardNextPostReviewoftheComputerBoysinDigitalHumanitiesQuarterly

6thoughtsonComputerDatinginthe1960s

1. MarieHickssays:
October6,2015at1:50am

ReallyenjoyedthispostreaditasIpreparedtogiveatalkonthehistoryofcomputermatchmakingatSHOT(Albuquerque).Onethingthatseemsreally
interestingtomeishowthesematchmakingservicesgenerallyeitherseemedtobestartedbysleazybachelorsorcomeoutofthemarriagebureau
industry/tradition.Seemslikethedifferentcampsmighthaveengineeredverydifferentsocialexpectationsintotheirrespectivesystems.Didthatevenmattertothe
endresult,Iwonder?

Wouldyoumindaddingthereferencesforthenewspaperarticlesifyouhavetime?Iwouldespeciallylovetolookupthe(NewYork?)Observeronetoreadthe
rest

Reply

1. nathanensays:
October6,2015at4:06pm

Greatidea!Ishouldhaveincludedthesereferencesinthefirstplace.Ihaveupdatedthepostwithfootnotes.

Reply

2. Jonathansays:
July7,2016at12:05am

Ienjoyedthisarticle.IamtryingtofindanyinformationreferencingacomputermatchmakingserviceintheDenver/Boulderareain1966myparentsmetthrough
itandareabouttocelebratetheir50thanniversary!Theycannot,however,rememberanythingabouttheserviceatall.IthoughtthatifIcouldfindatleast
SOMEthingofnote,itcouldbeafunanniversarygift.Ifanyoneknowshowtohelp,letmeknow!

Reply

1. Karynsays:
August1,2016at6:58pm

Howfunny,butmyparentsmetthroughacomputerdatingserviceinDenverin1964andwearetryingtofindoutwhatthenamewas.Theycantremember.
TodaywearegoingtoStoryCorpstorecordtheirstory.Jonathanifyoueverfindoutthename,pleasepost,Iwouldlovetoshare.

Reply

2. AllettaCoopersays:
August8,2016at3:47pm

HiJonathan,ImresearchthisexactthinginrelationtotheinterviewthecommentorKarynsparentsrecentlydid.Iwouldlovetotalktoyouaboutwhatyou
doordontknowofit.Pleaseemailmeatproduction[at]storycorps[dot]org

Reply

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3. Valerie(SandyNye)Pattersonsays:
August3,2016at7:36pm

MyhusbandstartedacomputerdatinginEuropecalledDatelineandbasedinLondon.

Thiswasin1967.

HewascalledJohnPatterson.

Reply

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31/10/2016 ComputerDatinginthe1960s|TheComputerBoysTakeOver

InTheComputerBoysTakeOver,historianNathanEnsmengertracestherisetopowerofthecomputerexpertinmodernAmericansociety.Hefollowsthehistoryof
computerprogrammingfromitsoriginsaslowstatus,largelyfeminizedlaborinthesecretwartimecomputingprojectsthroughitsreinventionasaglamorousblackart
practicedbycomputercowboysinthe1950sthroughitsrationalizationinthe1960sastheacademicdisciplineofcomputerscienceandthesoftwareengineering
profession.

Hisrichandnuancedportrayalofthemenandwomen(asurprisingnumberofthecomputerboyswere,infact,female)whobuilttheircareersaroundthenovel
technologyofelectroniccomputingexploresissuesofpower,identity,andexpertisethathaveonlybecomemoresignificanttoourincreasinglycomputerizedsociety.His
detailedanalysisofthepervasivesoftwarecrisisrhetoricofthelate1960sshowshowseeminglytechnicaldebatesabouthowtomanagelargescalesoftware
developmentprojectsreflecteddeeperconcernsaboutthegrowingpowerandinfluenceoftechnicalspecialistsincorporate,academic,andgovernmentalorganizations.

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