In today’s modern world with advances in technology and social media, social interactions and relationships have taken a turn in the wrong direction. Today people do not need to leave their house to find someone they would like to form a closer bond with, which makes the process too easy. All it takes these days for someone to seek relationships that are more extra than friendship is to open their phone and scroll through profiles to see who looks cute and who has similar interests. As a result, the social aspects of meeting someone and quality of liking someone for who they are on the inside has slowly begun to disappear. For many people today, higher-level relationships and everything that comes with it are not as valued.
From what I have observed of the people who use apps such as Tinder and Bumble, there seem to be different goals with each user. What I have observed from most female users of these apps, they appear to actually seek genuine relationships but use the apps to avoid actual social interaction in public environments. On the other hand, I feel most male users simply use the apps as a means of finding quick physical interactions with women. I find this to be very disappointing that technology has reduced relationships to something that can be found within a few swipes on your phone.
SurveyMonkey had over 4,000 people survey about the use of dating apps. From the results, they gather that 75 percent of young adults ages 18 to 24 use Tinder and Bumble. Statista surveyed for the most popular online dating apps used in the United States as of September 2019 and the results showed that currently over 7 million people use Tinder and over 5 million currently use Bumble. According to Business of Apps, over 20 billion matches have been made since Tinder launched, but how many of those relationships actually lasted? How many of those matches weren’t just quick hookups, which is what Tinder is widely known for. 50 percent of marriages end in divorce and what are the odds that some of those couples met through Tinder and Bumble.
I genuinely believe that real relationships spark from a series of social interactions and memorable experiences. This is then shared with two people who develop a connection that they try to grow, by spending more time together in the most memorable ways. I believe that fewer people should stop depending on these apps for romantic and social activity.
This situation is one reason why I joined Cabrini University’s Activity and Programming Board. I wanted to join an organization that had a goal of making our University a more active and social community. By organizing events such as dances, game nights and field trips we are creating many opportunities for our students to be social and to form bonds with other members of the student body.
Some people might take a look at my dating history and say I am not the most reliable source but I have met enough people to see what dating has become today. I stand by my opinion that relationships don’t come within a few swipes of a phone. There are people who spend their whole lives searching for that significant other who can bring them love. I feel a lot of people in my generation do not have the patience to search that long. By staying off our phones we can develop character, and experience social activity that will ultimately help us find that significant other.
