Rather than just hookups, they result in enduring relationships:
The widespread complaint that dating apps are promoting hookup culture and destroying relationships is not entirely accurate. The desire for casual sex has existed since ancient times, before the advent of the Internet, when crude pickup lines sufficed. While some individuals have used Tinder and similar apps for casual encounters, research indicates that dating apps are not solely to blame. In fact, a 2013 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that over one-third of couples who married between 2005 and 2012 had met online. The study also found that online couples were less likely to divorce, with only 5.96% filing for divorce compared to 7.67% of couples who met offline. Real-life examples also support this trend. For instance, Stacey, a photo editor from New York, met her husband online and they have been together for a decade. Despite encouraging a friend to message a man she found attractive, Stacey ended up creating a profile herself and messaging him, resulting in a successful relationship.
The experience of online dating can be deeply personal:
A considerable amount of effort is invested in creating an online dating profile. Therefore, describing the process as impersonal is an incorrect statement. Crafting a dating profile involves selecting photos that showcase significant aspects of your life, composing a detailed bio explaining why you prefer dogs over cats, and going through an extensive list of dating preferences. The whole experience is deeply personal. Furthermore, reviewing a profile before the initial in-person meeting enhances the first date’s intimacy level. You learn about the person’s details that you would not have encountered during a chance encounter at a bar.
Jake, a 34-year-old man who recently joined OkCupid, shares his perspective, saying, “What I find fascinating about dating profiles is reading between the lines. Everyone includes Shawshank Redemption in their favorite movies list, but I delve deeper. The film preferences reveal a lot about an individual’s character… and I require someone who can sit through a Shawshank marathon all day. It’s better to discover this before the actual date.”
Despite the vast dating pool, people are still inclined to commit to a long-term relationship.
Jean Fitzpatrick, a couples therapist based in Manhattan, highlights the vast opportunity presented by online dating when asked about its advantages. “Online dating widens your options beyond your social circle,” she explains. “It allows you to connect with a larger group of people, including potential partners that you might never have met otherwise, through friends or work.” Although some may argue that having too many options in the dating pool could hinder the chances of finding a long-lasting relationship – why commit when you can have flings with half of the tri-state area? – statistics prove otherwise.
According to Coffee Meets Bagel, a popular dating app that curates individual matches daily, 44% of its users know someone who found their spouse or partner online. This fact is not surprising, considering Match.com has facilitated a total of 625,000 relationships, 98,000 marriages, and 1.1 million babies. Take that, naysayers. The numbers speak for themselves.
The person you are communicating with is likely genuine, not a catfish.
It’s unfair to generalize billions of people on dating apps as catfishes who misrepresent themselves. While there have been high-profile cases of people being deceived, it doesn’t mean that everyone on dating apps is insincere. As Albright College psychology professor Gwendolyn Seidman notes, online daters understand that they must create a good impression with their profile while still being truthful if they want to pursue a relationship. Thus, if someone genuinely wants to take you on a date, the chances of them being deceptive about their identity are low since a relationship cannot be built on falsehoods.
The highest level of inclusivity.
While dating apps traditionally allow users to filter search results based on factors such as age, gender, race, sexuality, location, preferences, and body type, I believe that such filters may hinder overall app engagement in today’s more inclusive and equal cultural climate. Rather than encouraging users to exclude potential matches based on superficial criteria, dating apps should create a safe and inclusive environment that welcomes all individuals, regardless of their disability status, sexual orientation, or racial identity. By eliminating most traditional filtering mechanisms, dating apps can foster a community where users are open to meeting people outside of their usual “match type” in the hopes of forging deep and lasting connections, ultimately leading to increased user engagement over time.
