As fun as using online dating apps may be, it also has the potential to be quite demoralizing. When a scenario goes south, you might question whether it’s worth finding love online. Perhaps you were ghosted, got random nude pics of someone (eww), or had feelings for someone who didn’t feel the same way about you.
This leads us to the question: are dating apps really worth it?
When you stop to think about it, online dating is nuts. There are so many alternatives for dating apps these days that you can quickly swipe through thousands of profiles without taking a minute to consider who you’re passing by. Basically, it’s like speed dating while on actual speed.
I’ve been dabbling in the digital world of dating for years and have picked up a few tips along the way. I’m not sure if it’s worth it for me, per se, but it’s definitely paid off for millions worldwide.
First, let’s talk about the apparent benefits of utilizing dating apps, such as meeting compatible people and maybe even finding love online.
Dating Apps Help People Create Happy Relationships
Creating an account for a dating app has the potential to result in a deep and lasting relationship. It’s possible to find someone you click with, have amazing talks with, and develop a genuine connection with, leading to the possibility of a long-term, committed relationship.
Then, every crappy match, ghoster, and other dating app moment of frustration would have been worthwhile.
There are countless stories on various social media platforms about couples who met via a dating app, got married, and are still together years later. As comforting as it is romantic, this is, above all, hopeful. For others who use dating apps, it represents a glimmer of optimism that something similar may happen to them!
With Dating Apps, Meeting New People is Simple
Now, meeting new people is as simple as downloading a dating app on your smartphone. Considering how much time we currently spend online, mingling mostly in virtual spaces is the norm.
Naturally occurring face-to-face encounters between strangers are becoming more and more uncommon. After all, not everyone enjoys being hollered at and feeling pressured to keep up a dialogue while waiting in line for their oat milk latte.
Traditional hangouts for getting to know people, such as clubs, restaurants, bookstores, and the like, are losing their luster. I don’t know about you, but when I’m out running errands or shopping, I just want to be left alone (if you’re really hot, I will make an exception).
As a result, the use of dating apps to meet new people and find love has steadily become the standard. Besides, it really does what it says it will. While communicating online, unlike in person, you are not obligated to continue a discussion that makes you feel uneasy. You just log off.
You Have Control When Using Dating Apps
This takes us to what is undoubtedly the most significant advantage of online dating: your level of control. While using an online dating app, you are in charge at all times. If you’ve matched with someone and realized they aren’t a good fit for you, you can click unmatch and poof! Problem solved.
Imagine doing that in real life. Just place your finger gently on a person’s forehead and say, “unmatch” mid-conversation. You can’t, right? Because it would be socially unacceptable, nay, rude, to do that to another human being. But not on dating apps, which is why this is my favorite benefit of them all. No muss, no fuss; just click a button, and they are gone.
Leaving a chat abruptly is perfectly safe at any time, which is not how it is in the real world. And, if you want to end things with them permanently, you could also block them.
You Choose Who You Date
Speed dating, blind dates, and other forms of offline dating all require you to spell out your preferences and carefully evaluate each possible suitor. This has the potential to be a little awkward, to put it mildly.
By selecting a few parameters and letting an algorithm do the rest, online dating helps you find individuals who share your interests and meet your dating preferences. This way, you can be confident that the person you’re talking to meets your minimum standards for a possible partner. You won’t be wasting any time, either yours or theirs.
You Can Chat Up as Many People as you Want
There is no need to choose between chats while using a dating app. Several people can be matched at once, and you can start talking to them to see whether you get along. If you don’t click with one person, it’s simple to go on to another one until you discover someone who connects with you.
Sometimes it’s possible to hit it off with several people at once; we love the variety! Thanks to dating apps, you can keep chatting with them until you find the one which perfectly suits you. The time required for this varies widely, depending on the details, but it’s a cakewalk to do on a dating app.
Doing so offline might lead to uncomfortable situations, claims of cheating, and hurt feelings. In contrast hand, it’s assumed that several simultaneous conversations with multiple potential partners are okay while using a dating app. Nothing is off-limits unless you and your prospective partner agree on specific ground rules.
Unfortunately, we also have to talk about the downsides of dating apps, such as the challenges of communication and the rise of online dating scams.
Fake Profiles/Catfishers
In the world of online dating, encountering a catfish is very common. It’s a problem whether the difference is subtle, as when someone exaggerates their height or alters a picture to make their lips seem fuller, or drastic, as when someone fully distorts their appearance.
Many use dating apps to lie about who they are by using photos of someone else. That’s cause for serious concern if you’re considering seeing them in person. Depending on where your relationship was when you were chatting on the dating app, you may feel upset and misled at the very least or lied to and victimized at the worst.
It Requires Time and Energy
Sometimes, it takes a while for online dating to generate results. Apps like Tinder and Bumble make it easy to meet many people quickly and easily, but it doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily click with any of them. However, it doesn’t guarantee a successful conversation even if you have common ground with one or more of them.
There are a lot of potential pitfalls associated with online dating. There is a nuanced balance between being overly inquisitive and coming across as uninterested. Sometimes you can talk for a week, but at the end of it, you’ve only managed to get in about five sentences worth of dialogue (boring). Sometimes the roles are reversed, and a conversation goes on and on but then suddenly dies off, meaning you have to start all over again.
In order to successfully use online dating apps, you need to have a lot of patience.
Final Thoughts
No matter how overwhelming the dating app landscape looks, don’t be scared to sign up. There are many things to think about, that’s for sure.
Questions include whether or not to subscribe for a premium membership, which dating app to use, how to craft the ideal profile, etc. Even so, you shouldn’t allow these small hurdles to stop you from finding love online!
Dating apps have the potential to lead to meaningful partnerships, rewarding connections, and fun flings. Using some of the best dating apps, you may discover the perfect match, and end up finding love online. Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned user of dating apps, I highly recommend giving them a go.
