By Sophie Fairey – Senior Lifestyle Editor
Something that stuck out to me when thinking about modernity was how technology increasingly defines the modern era, and influences the way we interact with the world, with each other, and with ourselves. Dating apps, for example, are a product of developing technology and increasing reliance on our phones for connecting with others and finding joy. Because of this, I think that dating apps have completely changed the way the world views romance. It is beginning to appear to me that these artificial connections mean that our hearts just aren’t really in it anymore.
There are two sides to every coin, so dating apps are both a blessing and a curse. They allow people to kick start their dating life and match with potential partners who they might otherwise have never crossed paths with. They have prompts like ‘my most controversial opinion’ or ‘the one thing I want to know about you’, or even ‘two truths and a lie’ that promote interesting conversations and encourage you to think about yourself and what you’re looking for. And of course, because of increasing reliance on dating apps in modern society, it is becoming one of the most common and effective ways of meeting a partner and even finding love. If it doesn’t seem to be working out for someone, I’m sure most of us can say we have a friend or two who met their boyfriend or girlfriend on hinge. So it just goes to show that it is possible if you stick it out!
However, this isn’t always the case. The term ‘situationship’ gets thrown around a lot in the dating scene, especially at university. It’s getting harder and harder for young people to meet someone that is looking for a genuine connection. Dating apps aren’t for everyone. It can be exhausting going from talking stage to talking stage with nothing to show for it. Perhaps it is the very fact that a simple date is at the touch of your fingertips, constantly swiping from profile to profile, that often makes the prospect of dating pretty uninspiring. The novelty soon wears off, and too much pressure is put on physical appearance or whether someone’s a good texter, when the only real way to find out if you click with someone, is to meet them in person.
Returning to this intense dependence on technology to find our matches for us, it could be argued that true romance is on the decline. People are less likely to approach someone out and about in the ‘real world’ because they would rather just wait it out and see if their face appears on a phone screen. Girls don’t want to make the first move, but boys have been conditioned to think they’re a ‘creep’ for even looking someone’s way or asking for their number. People are so used to communicating through a screen, that meeting someone in real life, seems like a rare and distant possibility.
This doesn’t mean it’s not fun to use dating apps, or that they won’t ever work! Sometimes it just takes a little extra motivation to carry on with conversations, and not get too caught up in finding your exact physical ‘type’ in a profile. However, it is possible that the popularisation of these apps in recent years has caused that movie-like romance to be deemed almost obsolete, and for real long-term connections to be a little harder to find. This is still acceptable because at least it means that we aren’t just settling for the first person to come along if they aren’t going to be what you’re looking for. And one day, when you really are least expecting it (despite the cliché), the right person will actually come along, possibly even sweep you off your feet, with or without a dating app.
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