Why dating apps aren’t as great as you may think

Graphics by Mitra Andrews

With the rise of social media over the past two decades, from MySpace to Instagram, apps focused on matching people together were bound to be created to capitalize on the human need for companionship.

In 2012, Tinder, the first swipe-based dating app was released. Tinder was and in some ways still is seen as a hook-up app. However, over the past few years, the app has rebranded as a platform meant for people looking for both casual and serious relationships.

Today, there are over 1,000 dating apps operating across the globe, some specializing in categories like religion and income. Some of the most popular dating apps in the United States are Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge.

The dating app industry generates billions of dollars and for understandable reasons, they provide different accommodations for different needs and thousands upon thousands of people looking for human connection.

With all the accommodations and possibilities that a person could want or need, one might think that dating apps are a great thing…but they’re not.

The problem with dating apps is that in some cases, they provide too many possibilities. When you’re given an endless array of people who vary in all different ways, you might not just want to choose just one.

Having that many choices can make people doubtful, wondering what other options exist. It takes away from the humanity aspect and creates a permanent hypothetical “what if” bubble that is hard to escape from.

It’s not just the false sense of unlimited options that make dating apps problematic, it’s also that they replace genuine connections for superficial ones.

It can be easier to communicate with someone through a screen because there’s not as much pressure to “say the right thing.” However, if you continuously only talk to someone through a screen, you’ll eventually forget how to communicate face-to-face.

It isn’t easy to figure someone out solely based on their profile. If you couldn’t figure out someone based on their Instagram or Facebook profile, why would you try to figure someone out based on their dating profile, especially when they have much more motivation to lie and deceive?

Dating apps are centered around vanity. When users are swiping and the factor that decides whether they’re interested is physical attractiveness, they can tend to overlook morals and values. Of course, you don’t want to date someone you’re not attracted to, but you also don’t want to date someone that doesn’t treat you or others with respect and empathy.

Dating apps are unnatural. They create an artificial way for people to feel like they are making meaningful connections when they aren’t. It’s healthier to go out and meet people naturally and face the chance of getting rejected than to be surrounded by an unlimited amount of options that you can only see through your screen.

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