Do dating apps work? They do work if you find the right app and use it correctly. Let’s explore in this article dating apps and how they work.
Online dating changed the way that we connect with others, and those changes aren’t done happening. Smartphones have taken internet dating to a whole new level. Now people see dating apps almost as of a form of entertainment. You swipe one direction or the other to see someone new.
You can check out dozens, if not hundreds of people within minutes of swiping. This fact is both scary and offers new promise to those who are on the lookout for someone to share their life with.
Smartphones have changed the way everything is done online
You might be a computer nerd from way back, but smartphones have changed the way you use the internet. How many people today buy stuff using their smartphones? It’s not unheard of for someone to realize they need new socks and head on over to Amazon to buy a dozen pairs.
The convenience of always having an internet-connected device in your pocket has changed everything. It should come as no surprise since the computers before smartphones changed life as we know it.
No one goes anywhere these days without a portable computer in their pocket. You don’t leave the house without your phone, and you probably check to make sure it’s in your pocket. We have become accustomed to the idea of not leaving home without something to connect to the internet.
A teenager today can’t imagine a world without the internet, and soon adults won’t remember a time without smartphones. These devices have come to have such a critical role in our lives that we can’t live without them.
Can you imagine what your life would be like without being able to connect to the internet whenever and wherever you want?
How have apps changed the world of dating?
It’s essential to recognize that the apps have changed online dating in many different ways.
The first is that apps allow you to scroll through profiles quickly and efficiently. If you have five minutes to burn in traffic, it’s possible to leaf through a few profiles and see if anyone strikes your fancy. If they do, then you can send them a message or save the profile to investigate later.
The convenience factor alone of dating apps makes it almost impossible not to use them. If you’re single and in need of a companion, then it’s a no brainer to use an app and try to find someone.
Sitting at a desktop can be a tedious challenge, given the fact that the device isn’t portable. You have to physically sit in front of the computer and be at the same place all the time.
A smartphone allows you to perform online dating tasks wherever you are. It’s even possible to send a quick message to a potential date during a bathroom break at work. You can’t take your home computer with you at work and take it with you to the bathroom.
The portability of online dating is what has become the most significant factor in how it has changed the way we socialize and find a mate.
Apps make dating online easier
It doesn’t get much easier than swiping in one direction or another when using apps like Tinder.
The camera on your smartphone makes it easy to have a profile with plenty of pictures. Want to talk to the person on the other end and see what they look like? Your smartphone has a built-in camera that allows for live camera conversations.
It doesn’t get any easier or more convenient than using a smartphone app for dating. It’s hard to believe that there was once a time when people sat in front of bulky computers and tried to follow the text in chatrooms hoping to find someone they could hook up with.
You can be up and running in a matter of minutes when it comes to using an app for online dating. You can join the site, pay for a membership, and create your profile in far less than an hour.
All of that can be done within a short period, and then you’re off to the races. It’s not unthinkable that some people get replies to their dating site profile within hours after creating it.
Who knows, some might even end up going on a date the same day. Stranger things have happened when it comes to dating online.
Are there any drawbacks to using apps for dating?
As with anything in life, there are drawbacks to using apps for dating purposes. No one should be surprised that using an app to meet people might have some negative consequences. Now we’re going to shift gears and talk about the bad side of using an app to find people to date.
There aren’t too many bad things when it comes to using an app; there are some things you need to do to keep safe.
The ease of apps makes messaging too many people easier
You don’t need to be so picky when you’re not behind a desk and have to type everything out longhand. There’s more work involved when responding to profiles using a computer. The amount of work required makes many people second guess if they want to respond to a profile.
Using a smartphone makes the process so easy that sending a ton of little messages is possible. You might find yourself contacting several people back to back not because you’re interested in them, but because you can. You’re trying to cast as wide of a net as possible in hopes of catching a good fish.
Being less picky means that you send out far too many messages. You end up contacting people who you might not otherwise be interested in. It’s not too far-fetched to believe that some of those people who you are contacting are the exact opposite of you.
Ever wonder why your date is so far off from the type of person who you usually go out with?
Go back and retrace your steps to see how you first stumbled upon the person. It’s highly likely that the reason why you came across their profile is that you did not fill out your profile with enough detail. Going wide is not a good way to find someone you’re compatible with, but some people do it in hopes of anyone responding to their messages.
You burn through far too much time getting very little accomplished
Dating apps are a lot like social media in the sense you can sit there and do a lot without doing anything at all. Some people are bored, and they want someone to talk to. You’re trying to find someone, and they want a person to chat it up with.
People find themselves in situations like this far more than what you might imagine. It also doesn’t hurt if the person you’re messaging is attractive, and you hope to go out on a date with them. Some guys will talk to a woman for hours without thinking twice about it in hopes of going out on a date with them.
Minutes have a way of turning into hours when you’re talking to multiple people at the same time. If you build up enough of a list of people you regularly talk to, then it can turn into an all-day affair.
You might find yourself always talking to people you don’t know who will never go out on a date with you. Why are they talking so much? These people have nothing to do, and they might not work, or they could be the type who is on their phone all day long.
The biggest danger is that you begin to devalue people
What does swiping left lead to? For many online dating, the real issue with swiping left is that it gets you in the mindset of devaluing people. Why are you swiping left? Is it because the person is unattractive? There is a reason why you’re swiping left, and some people do it far more than others.
They swipe left as if they’re going through Instagram photos of things they would rather not see. You always have to remind yourself that you’re swiping left and getting rid of actual human beings.
These aren’t numbers, potted plants, or things that don’t exist. You are voting with your finger to remove these people from your life.
It’s easy to become superficial when you’re continually swiping left for one reason or another.
Are you taking the time out to get to know the person at all?
Are you reading their profile? If not, then what are you doing?
You’re basing your entire dating experience on what the person looks like. How the person looks is what you’re using to determine if they are the right match for you. Let’s be clear and say you can learn quite a bit from someone’s appearance, but it’s not the only thing you should be concerned about.
A person can fake you out on who you think they are fairly easy. Someone can post pictures of themselves from the chin up so you can’t tell their body type.
Photos can be edited to make someone appear to be younger or less heavy than they are. It’s also possible that a person might take pictures of themselves wearing expensive clothes that they don’t own.
You never know what lengths some are willing to go to fool you. Be careful with your swiping finger, and make sure to use it cautiously. All people are valuable, and it’s when you begin to think otherwise that significant problems will start to fester in your dating life.
You don’t have to use apps when you’re a member of the big sites
You shouldn’t feel tied down to apps like Tinder if you don’t want to use them. The big dating sites still allow you to log in an old-fashioned way with a browser.
If you’re the type who likes to sit behind a computer screen, then don’t sweat it. You can still go from profile to profile while inspecting each to see if they are the right match for you. Sometimes it’s best to stop and smell the roses and enjoy the dating process.
You can find yourself going from one extreme to another when using apps, and that might cause you to stop looking altogether. If that ends up happening, then you’re going to losing out on one of the best things that life has to offer. Dating is a wonderful way to get to know people and to explore yourself in the process.
Whatever you do, don’t see people as numbers
It doesn’t matter if you’re reading profiles on your laptop or swiping on your smartphone, make sure to view people as the special creatures that they are. Understand in your heart that all people are valuable, and they deserve respect.
You’re not looking at the meat case at your local butcher shop for your next meal. These are real people with feelings, hopes, and desires just like you. Just because they aren’t attractive to you, don’t mean they are less of a person. It only means that you aren’t interested in dating them.
If you begin to think about them in any lesser terms, then using apps has ruined not only your dating life but your outlook on humanity as well.
Conclusion
Apps are a tool that you can use to make dating in the modern-day far easier. They aren’t the cure-all many would like to believe they are for your loneliness. Seek love, happiness, and togetherness using whatever tools you feel the most comfortable with.
The real hope is that you’ll find the right person, and you’ll never have to use an app again. The goal of everyone using an app or a dating site should be to find the one person who makes your life better than you could’ve ever imagined. Your days of using apps and websites for dating are long gone after you find the person who makes your life whole.
You can also check out how to ask a girl out by text.