Sure. But the socially awkward, esthetically displeasing, and the too-busy-to-have-a-life-people would be out of luck.

Yep.

Me: first online in 1981, began writing for the web in the mid 1990s.

Him: IT professional. Y2K maven.

How did we meet?

A friend from my book group fixed us up.

Jane Austen lives!

Of course! Pre-internet, we were not only able to date, but correspond with friends and family, look up definitions, and even buy things! What we weren't able to do is find a date that is a 92% personality match, keep in touch with people no matter how many times they moved, see a word's thesaurus entry, antonyms, audible pronunciation and translations all on a single page, and find out how hundreds of other people rate a product AND it's seller before we buy.

Of course. Networking and matchmaking weren't invented on the Internet!

Yes. People would have to be slightly braver and more assertive face to face. It's easier to reach out to someone or express interest in them online because it's kind of safe and passive -- you can always not respond to their response. It's also easier to be playful, flirty, and suggestive online than off. But, yes. Without the Net, people would still date.

No. Never. The human race would be doomed.

Yes. Before the internet we found dates the old fashioned way, by going to bars. My wife picked me up at a bar way back before the internet was cool.

If you think this question is slightly leading... you've GOT to see this. A bit harsh, though, so please watch with care.

...or at least a sense of humor :)

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/online_dating_helping_pathetic

People were dating long before the Internet was created.

The Internet is merely a tool to meet people, but people have many other ways to find partners for e.g. friends, work, church, clubs, matchmakers.

All the studies show that most people meet their partners through work.

The advantage about online dating is that people can do it from home, and it does generate more dates.

It works best for older people and busy professionals who don't have the time or energy to do the club thing anymore.

Contrary to the insinuation of the question, most people meet dates off-line. Would geeks ever get dates? That could be up for debate. Heh.