Modern dating methods have been suggested to reduce the chances of forming long-term relationships, leaving people feeling hopeless and single.
Dating apps rely on the number of likes, matches and swipes. With 4.4 million people in the uk using a dating app of any kind, the world of digital dating has decreased the number of long lasting relationships through the inability to predict a real-life chemistry.
Despite data allowing singles to connect over similar interests, nearby locations and dating preferences, it seems to fail in providing a match for romantic sparks. The addictive nature of endless scrolling devalues the importance of true connection. This is where dating apps feed into the need for validation, and therefore, comes hand in hand with the modern-day addiction to social media and unhealthy comparison; leaving users questioning other people’s intentions.
Last week, figures were released to suggest that fertility rates have plummeted across the UK. With the modern dating scene failing to match people successfully and therefore leaving people without a stable relationship, could the disappointment of dating apps be a hidden cause of this fertility crisis?
We ask the people of Cardiff about their experience of using dating apps and how they believe it has affected the dating world.
Brynach Batin, 33, Musician
“I’ve only been on a few tinder dates. You can click online but it often isn’t the same in person. I once went on a date with a girl, we’d spoken all day and every day for weeks but there was no spark in real-life. She said she’d had been on hundreds of dates. I was a bit put off by that because it felt like she didn’t know what she was looking for. She’s now dating my brother!”
Owen Harry, 28, Teacher-in-training
“I hate them. They have never been successful for me. Apps are the problem in dating. It’s like marketing, you have to advertise yourself in a way that is palatable. Every time I have met a guy online its been a nightmare, especially with the hook-up culture in gay dating. One guy wouldn’t stop talking about his ex-boyfriend who he’d broken up with a week ago! “
Angharad Williams-Marshell, 24, Bar-tender
“I had tinder in lock-down. It was just a bit of fun and it was someone to talk to. I think meeting someone organically is more fun, I met my partner in a pub. The only stories you hear are people dating for fun and then they happen to like that person, the initial intentions are rarely serious. Although my friend met hers on bumble, apparently it is the best for bi-sexual women”
Addison Selimi, 19, Student
“They must be doing something if apps like Tinder are so well known. Although, I have heard horror stories about people who are desperate and just use it for flings. I think when you’re meeting behind a virtual wall there’s not as much of that vital connection, I’d rather meet someone when I’ve just happened to have a nice interaction”
Fennic Mills, 18, Student
To be honest, the only reason I haven’t had dating apps is because I can’t download them on my phone. I can only get bumble, which I had when I came to uni because I thought it was a good time. I hated it though, you have to pay for every feature. You can barely see any of your likes or matches without paying. I also think that a lot of people are on these apps just for sex”