To Swipe or Not to Swipe: How Dating Apps Have Changed Dating

Be honest, you’ve most likely swiped left and right on a dating app, maybe even just to see what all the hype is about. You may have also been on a few dates with some people you have connected with on said dating apps. Hey, maybe you are even in a relationship with someone you met on those same dating apps! Well don’t worry, you aren’t alone. In fact, according to a recent study done by Stanford University, 39% of couples are reporting that they met on some kind of dating app, whether that be Tinder or Bumble, or their lesser known counterparts.

The fact is, dating is not like what it was even 20 years ago. People still meet in more traditional ways, but online dating has become the norm and much easier than actually going out and trying to form a connection with some rando in a bar.

Change is good though. Remember when dating didn’t even exist, and we just mated to populate the earth? Or when arranged marriages were a common occurrence? What about the 18 and early 1900s, when courtships were established, and dowries were exchanged?

It wasn’t really until the 1970s that dating became how we think of it now: unchaperoned, chill, dinner and a movie kind of fun. In those times, a person would date multiple people, keeping it very casual before deciding they liked someone and settling down to “go steady”.

So, what happened? Why has dating evolved into a more serious commitment and what is the “talking” phase? Why do people find it easier to use Tinder instead of going out and finding someone?

According to an article by The Atlantic, people use Tinder for a lot of reasons instead of normal dating. One woman said in this article that she used Tinder because she was tired of interacting with people from her town, because she felt like she knew them all. She said she never would’ve met her husband if it wasn’t for Tinder, since it can connect you to people that are cities away from you.

A lot of people use Tinder or other dating apps for ease. As a generation, we are on our phones constantly anyway. Having Tinder on there as another app to check is just as easy as checking our emails in the morning. Bored? Check Tinder.

Tinder has also lessened what is known as the “talking phase”. For one reason or another, there has become a stigma around younger generations for dating around and seeing more than one person at a time. This is most likely due to not wanting to be labeled as sexually promiscuous, even if someone is not becoming intimate with all the people they date. But also, the word dating has become stigmatized to mean something more serious than it actually is. Younger generations see dating as an end all be all commitment. Thus, enter the talking stage, a more than friendship but less than relationship point for people who are afraid to settle down and just want to hang out.

Tinder has lessened this phase because with Tinder everything can be kept quiet in a way. You don’t have to tell your best friends about every guy or girl you’re talking to on the app. You don’t even have to go on dates with everyone you match with. You can choose your own boundaries and pick and choose who, if anyone, you want to take to the next level.

What are your experiences with dating apps? Let us know down below!

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