> From the end of World War II until 2013, the most popular way heterosexual Americans met their romantic partners was through the intermediation of friends. On

> From the end of World War II until 2013, the most popular way heterosexual Americans met their romantic partners was through the intermediation of friends. One’s close friends and family have, probably since the beginning of time, been the essential network foci that enable connections to other people, i.e., the friends of one’s friends (1). More distant ties have the potential to create a bridge to a new, previously unknown network of people and information (2). Friends, the close and the not-so-close, have been historically a crucial source of connections to others. The rise of the Internet has allowed individuals in the dating market to disintermediate their friends, i.e., to meet romantic partners without the personal intermediation of their friends and family.