The mere concept of dating apps had been unknown until the late 2010s. The sudden surge in demand for these has been due to the fact that the working culture demands more working hours from people and henceforth leaves less time for socialising. Tight schedules and the inability to adjust amongst the general folk lays down a clear pathway for these dating apps to step in and provide the much-needed love and affection from the opposite or even the same gender, as per requirement.
Social media has a pivotal role in the growth of these applications as well. The need for an intimate relationship, be it some casual fling or looking for serious long term partners, is a precedent set out by social media platforms because one gets drawn into feeling the void of having someone intimate in their lives. People dating and in relationships have taken social media by storm and are vocal and public about their lives and the glamour and felicity that follows. Famous and highly followed social media accounts take unwanted credit for the same, like their posts and description of lives with their intimate one creates something of a ‘false’ image as to the only upside of having the same, is colours of joy whilst making it seem highly pertinent.
A very well crafted occasion of Valentines’ Day has always been shown as the epitome of what it means to love and care for someone. While some might think it’s all that it is, the reality lies in the fact that a surge in average users of these dating apps is a true image of insecurity and loneliness within the general population. The cultural trend of gifting and spending quality time with your partner is not only well-orchestrated but also fuels the fire for such applications and their ever-rising growth. The already famous Tinder, Bumble, Hinge etc. have laid down the tracks for such new innovative dating apps as Grindr, Feeld, HER and more. Tinder had started out as a swipe to match feature which looks all simple and truly is. A very basic concept in relation to what the market now offers wherein Bumble is more oriented to womens’ initiatives. Hinge on the other hand has a self-destruct policy kept in mind whilst the app was created because of the fact that it needs to be deleted once you find the partner you’re looking for, as it moves further from casual dating experiences.
Grindr and HER on the other hand have laid tracks for a newer generation and their wants of finding same-sex partners, men and women respectively. This has been the call for the new age and has truly been well addressed by these dating apps. Aisle is one such distinguished app that is something between a matrimony and dating app, which is presumably more comfortable for people looking for serious partners without going all-in.
The efficient and well-timed strike on the market for such applications is very well appreciated but it makes us wonder how far we have actually come from times when people used to meet more often and have different definitions of intimacy, understanding and love. While these apps do have an abundance of positives, on one hand, major problems exist on the other. A lot of people fear being rejected by these online profiles, many develop a feeling of low self-esteem when they notice themselves not matching well with others. Also, the anonymity created within these apps leads to deceitful acts by others such as lying about their own appearances, age, relationship status etc. The need for being careful is somewhere lost within the idea behind these apps and people seemingly give these apps carte blanche into finding an intimate partner for themselves.
