How many people take dating apps seriously? Looking for long-term partnerships feels redundant when our futures can be so uncertain, but looking for something short-term feels unfair and unsubstantial. Yes, we receive basic information through dating apps; education and location help make basic assumptions about socio-economic backgrounds and judge what we would be compatible with. But how do we know who we’re looking for if we don’t know what we’re looking for?
Here’s my unfiltered opinion; we’re at a stage where the men and women in our generation are looking for completely different things. Women have witnessed their mothers juggling the role of mothers and wives alongside pushing boundaries as working women. I’m not suggesting men have it significantly easier, just that the system we live in culturally associates men with being the breadwinners, making it easier to progress at work and typically having less work in the home. More women have started to put careers first, aiming to start families in their 30s, rather than follow the examples of the generations prior trying to juggle starting families and progressing careers simultaneously.
We’re living in a time where ‘something serious’ is seen as entirely too much commitment and can seem scary, especially for the age range of 18-22, when so much is changing in our lives. So dating isn’t exactly a priority, and dating apps are either redundant for us or not taken seriously at all.
More women have started to put careers first, aiming to start families in their 30s, rather than follow the examples of the generations prior trying to juggle starting families and progressing careers simultaneously.
Maybe it’s different for people who started dating in high school and just never stopped (lucky buggers). Maybe I’m making a general assumption and people have found the love of their lives at this age, and they’re mature enough to commit and grow with their partners. Maybe, I’m just single and bitter. Mostly, I highly enjoy protecting my peace.
A lot of dating apps are downloaded ‘as a joke.’ A profile is set up in a couple of minutes, and you’re able to filter through a slew of people and match with some. The conversation may or may not start, and a relationship may or may not follow.
Some of my best friends have found their other half using these dating apps, and some come away with horror stories I do not wish to scar you with.
It can be easier to be confident behind a screen, but it can also be easier to lie.
As of 2023, 11 million people were using dating apps, with more than half of the 18-29 age range having used them. Hinge is the most popular dating app in our age range, but with only 10-15% of users having said they found their partner on it, its success rate is questionable.
Some of my best friends have found their other half using these dating apps, and some come away with horror stories I do not wish to scar you with.
What happened to introducing your friends to each other? What happened to the meet-cutes at the coffee shop? What happened to bonding over shared interests in person?
I think our generation is slowly letting go of dating apps as an avenue to look for something serious. As cliché as it sounds, (and believe me I’ve heard it plenty), it will happen when it happens – and it will not happen on hinge.