life skills

Dating apps are numerous, some are free, some geared to income, some to sexual orientation and some focused platonic friendship and hobbies.  Tinder Okcupid, Bumble,  Match and  Coffee Meets Bagel are among some of the more popular  dating app out there.

 Tinder perhaps the most well known dating app, for the most part is free. Like other dating apps you must be 18 years of age. You are able to view profiles of individuals in your area and “swipe” to dismiss them or accept them. Unfortunately anyone can message you, so there is a certain lack of privacy.

Other dating apps may charge a fee and help you create a profile that is a little more selective. On average they charge $10 to $45 monthly depending on the features selected and or the number of months selected. Most paid dating apps attempt to match you up with people with similar interests and that fit the requirements that you set. Once logged apps such as Coffee Meets Bagels sends you a number of matches daily. If both parties accept the match you will be able to send messages privately to each other. 

Although dating apps are popular and have their uses, it is not necessarily the best way and the only way to meet potential romantic partners. There are many people online looking for serious relationships, there are also many who are just looking for a “hook up” or a short term relationship. “Catfishing” ,that is creating a false online identity in order to deceive, is a common tool used by dishonest individuals using dating apps.

 There are also people simply looking to build up their follower base. For example an attractive young lady may use her dating app profile to gain followers for her Instagram account.

When we look at the success rate for dating apps we find that only 8% of people surveyed found their partners via online dating. In reality it has been found that approximately  39% of individuals met their significant other through chance encounters, 15% in the workplace , 12% in bar or public area, meetings through sport/religion/hobby accounted for 9%, family 7% and school 6%.

So, all in all, traditional ways of meeting still wins out when meeting your significant other. However, the use of dating apps is on the rise. The ability to directly ask those important compatibility questions online may in the future eventually become an effective way to find our ideal.