Dating apps are part of a wider revolution in dating culture. Online dating enables users to find and introduce themselves to new people on the internet. This is done with the goal of developing sexual personal or romantic relationships. Companies provide online dating services to users through applications or websites. Apps are used on mobile phones and are quite easily accessible. They can be checked out on the go and considering that most of the population is glued to their cell phones, which means that dating apps are bringing people closer.
So how dating apps changed and brought a revolution in dating culture?
- The choices of dating apps today are made quickly. You either swipe left or right, which is quite a casual gesture. People make the decision to go ahead with talking to a person within a few minutes. Is that really enough to decide if the person you are accepting or rejecting is right or not right for you? But the truth is, you are thinking if the person is hot enough, is not creep or may have something interesting to talk about. Because this is what can be gauged from an online profile.
- People are far removed from the process of dating. Usually, many just want sexual satisfaction which can be achieved through options such as cam sites or sugar momma applications. Swiping could be viewed as a game, with the use of technology.
- For years humans have chosen partners to marry and raise kids from their own communities and had limited options from the dating pool. Traditionally elders or relatives would set people up on blind dates to give a sense of freedom in choosing their partners, but the choices were limited. However, dating apps have completely changed the way in which people find partners. According to surveys, by 2000, 10% of heterosexual couples and 20% of homosexual couples had met through the internet. By 2010, the percentages changed to 20% and 70% respectively. And then in 2017, it was noted that 29% of opposite-sex couples and 65% of same-sex couples had met online, bypassing family introductions.
- There are a million Tinder dates occurring each week, all over the world. A study in 2015 found that internet dating had led to an increase in marriages by 33%, compared to an internet dating free world.
- Studies have also shown that the number of interracial couples has also increased since the advent of online dating. It could be that it was easier to approach people of a different race online or it gave people a chance to look outside of their normal dating pool and social circle.
Dating apps and sites are a variant of personal ads. It does the same thing through a person’s profile. Someone creates a profile conveying their interest in hook-ups or relationships and others respond to it. There are other dating apps and sites that cater to specific people, communities and interested as well.
For example – young men looking for older women can choose from some of the best sugar momma dating apps which are quite popular. Then there are apps that focus on ethnic communities, marginalized groups, elites, etc. These are niche dating apps that are quite successful as they match people who want to find a certain kind of partner. Luxury focuses on the rich while Hinge is for those who have gone through a breakup recently.
Dating apps have really completely changed the way people meet and date. On the positive side, it has brought the world closer. But some would say that technology has generally distanced people and they choose partners based n superficial traits as profile don’t tell you about the real person behind the picture.