There’s quite literally a dating app for everyone nowadays. Whatever you’re into, you can log into a platform and find suitable people itching for a chat. It’s become the most “normal” way to date in the modern era – but are dating apps all they’re cracked up to be?
Experiences differ and many of you are questioning whether you should download a dating app or two. You’ve been single for some time and want to find someone, though it’s worth knowing the pros and cons of using dating apps before you download them.
Dating App Pros
Look, we think there are plenty of benefits to dating apps and online dating as a whole. This could be the best way for you to find love; it all depends on who you are and what you like doing. With that in mind, here are some of the biggest dating app pros:
Extremely Convenient
Instead of needing to get dressed up for a night on the town, you can lounge around in your bedroom and start swiping left or right. Dating apps make dating way more convenient and accessible for everyone, which is why so many people love them. It takes a lot of the pressure off of dating as well because you feel like you’re just having chats with people and it the conversation flows naturally.
Make Decisions Based On Your Tastes
In the real world, people might come up to you and try chatting you up. It’s incredibly hard (and rude) to put your hand up and say “No thanks, you’re not my type.” On a dating app, this is literally how things work. You only talk to people you’re interested in talking to – it lets you filter your preferences based on what you’re into.
Excellent If You’re Introverted
Hands up if you’re an introvert. More and more people are feeling introverted, which if we dive into the psychology of this, probably stems from the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns. Anyway, dating as an introvert is usually challenging as you can’t bring yourself to go out and talk to people. Having an app in your pocket that lets you do this from home makes a world of difference. It genuinely helps people find love or just get into the dating scene when they otherwise wouldn’t be able to.
Gives You Time To Get To Know Someone
Messaging someone every day on your phone gives you plenty of time to get to know them as a person. You speak to them all the time for hours a day and it helps you know their interests, what their life is like and so on. This is all very important as you can easily decide if you’re compatible before you need to commit to dating.
Dating App Cons
While dating apps seem good for a lot of people, they do have drawbacks that you might not like. We spoke to friends and family who tried popular dating apps and these were the main issues they found:
It’s Easy To Lie About Yourself Online
Straight up, anyone can be anyone online. You’ll find loads of stories online about people who lied about their age on dating apps to appear more attractive to others. Some users will edit photos to change how they look while many will completely fabricate their profiles. It makes it harder to trust who you’re talking to unless there are obvious signs that no lies are in place. Relationships are built on trust, so having shaky ground to start with is never a great way to begin a relationship.
Can Be Perceived As Quite Superficial
Dating apps get a bad reputation as they’re designed to be rather superficial. Everyone swipes right or left based on people’s pictures. It’s all about first impressions, though the first impression is typically a visual one. The ideal dating app wouldn’t have any photos so you could truly get to know the individual on a personal level. Unfortunately – as we just spoke about – people lie all the time and it’s easier to do this when no photos are involved.
You Don’t Get To Meet The Person In Real Life Right Away
Some people love the fact that you don’t need to meet the person you’re talking to right away. It gives you time to get to know one another and become more familiar before you meet in real life. However, this can lead to some bad situations. What if you finally meet and they look nothing like their photo? Even worse, what if they think YOU look nothing like your photo and they’re not attracted to you?! Seeing someone in person is different to talking to them online. That’s why speed dating is getting more and more popular. It’s almost like a real-life dating app; you’re brought together with loads of other single people looking for relationships, only with the benefit of seeing each other in person beforehand. It means you don’t have the awkward moment of meeting in real life after chatting online and things not living up to expectations.
Lots Of Trolls
Finally, dating apps can be full of online trolls. We spoke about people lying about their age or looks, but some people use dating apps just to be annoying. They make fake profiles and lead people along for the “fun” of it. Even worse, you get some obvious trolls who just say stupid things or try to make jokes all the time. It makes it harder to find people who actually want to talk to you rather than internet trolls laughing with their mates.
Listen, we’re not here to tell you if dating apps are right for you. It’s up to you to decide that for yourself – and the pros and cons listed in this article will help. By all means, these apps have helped thousands of people find love and enjoy dating once again. In the same breath, just as many people haven’t found success, nor do they enjoy these apps at all. It comes down to personal preference and we hope this post will help you decide if dating apps are a good idea.