If you were to ask almost any young, single person they would probably tell you that they have at least one dating app on their phone. Online dating dates back to as far as 1995, when Match.com was launched online. Fast forward to today and we now have things like Tinder, Hinge and even Facebook has a section for dating on their app as well.
Every online dating story is different, in a good and bad way. We hear horror stories on the news about women going to meet up with a man she met on Tinder, just for him to end up kidnapping her or killing her. It makes us think, is online dating even worth it?
Morgan Reilly is 23-year-old pansexual women. “I have used Tinder, Bumble, Her and Hinge. I was on there either for women because it’s so hard to really know if someone’s flirting with you or just being friendly in wlw [women loving women] situations so at least online I knew they were gay or just being bored and not knowing where to meet people.”
She goes on to say that she has had a lot of success in the online dating world.
“It’s nice to have new people to talk to, however, it’s also toxic because you have a roster and people become so disposable.”
On apps like Tinder and Hinge you swipe left or right between hundreds of people, matches pile up and create a roster of potential dates.
Besides online dating potentially becoming toxic, she also mentions a roadblock she comes upon. “Its all about physical attraction and as a pansexual I prefer personalities so that’s very difficult.” With everything being online, what is first going to catch our eye is what someone looks like. We then determine if we are attracted to them. If we are, we then let them know by “swiping right” or “liking” their profile. Meeting people this way seems almost shallow because we base everything off of what someone looks like.
Online dating versus meeting people in person can both have their advantages and disadvantages. “It depends, I have a horrific fear of rejection so going to people in person is terrifying, but it definitely feels more rewarding this day and age to meet someone “organically”.” Being on a phone or computer behind a screen “matching” with and messaging people can come a lot easier for people than being approached and conversing with someone in person. “I think social anxiety due to social media and comparison drives a huge wedge in the ability to meet people in the world.”
“Plus, where do you meet people? Especially with Covid, we have all become anti-social and there’s no places to meet cause the bars aren’t it and dating in the workplace is messy, at least if you meet online the risk of seeing them post-breakup is greatly diminished.”
