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The Et Cetera

OPINION: Online dating apps can’t compare to real-life relationships

Illustration by Mattheau Faught/The Et Cetera.
Illustration by Mattheau Faught/The Et Cetera.
By MIKA SANCHEZ

@TheEtCetera

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and the rate of dating apps being downloaded will likely increase since people don’t want to be alone during what is considered the most romantic day of the year. People love the idea of love, but many don’t actually want to commit to it for the long haul.

According to the Pew Research Center, 30% of adults in the U.S. have used a dating site or app, and only 12% have found a committed relationship.

You’re not always going to get what you expect from an online relationship, and people should stick to meeting in real life. People just don’t connect online the way they would if they had met casually or through mutual friends. 

I too have dabbled in the dating pool and downloaded a couple of dating apps, but with no success. I finally deleted them from my phone. Even though I tried countless times to find a match, I did not find a true connection with any of the potential suitors.

It appears that most of them only wanted one thing, and it wasn’t a relationship. Many people you meet on dating apps are only looking for hook-ups instead of getting to know the other person. That is what I find so wrong about dating these days.

I had an experience where I went on a date with someone I’d met online, and he did not look anything like his profile pictures. He lied about his height and appearance, and his persona was a façade.

When we had spoken online he was very smooth talking and sweet, but when we met in person he talked about sexual things the whole time. When I searched his Facebook profile, I found out he had a girlfriend back home.

I realized I had been catfished. Catfishing is a term that people use when an individual sculpts themself in a different way than they really are. It happens to a lot of individuals who are looking for love on dating apps.

My best friend, however, got lucky and found her soul mate on Tinder. They met in 2019 and have been dating ever since. They just recently got engaged, and I couldn’t be happier for them.

Even though my friend got lucky, there is a dark side to online dating. According to taylorring.com, more than 25% of rapists use online dating sites or apps to find their victims. So if you do choose to go out with someone you’ve met online, it’s wise to take precautions like meeting in a public place and texting your friends your location and schedule.

I won’t condemn others who want to seek love or just meet new people on dating apps, but when things normalize, maybe we can socialize the old-fashioned in-person way. 

—Mika Sanchez is a broadcast journalism major and a contributor.

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