As the popularity of dating apps has grown in the past decade, the likes of Tinder, Hinge and Bumble dominate modern romance … but do they ever deliver true love?
In today’s society, trying to find a romantic connection through online platforms is now more normalised than meeting individuals out in the real world.
But is this because it works, or is it just easier to find potential connections through your phone and from the comfort of your bed?
MerseyNewsLive surveyed people living in Liverpool to ask whether they had ever used or were actively using at least one dating app, with 71% of individuals answering “yes”.
However, when asked if they had found a relationship or love on there, only 24% had, with the remaining 76% being unsuccessful in finding a romantic connection.
One user of Tinder told us: “I think dating apps are an interesting new addition to the modern romantic scene.
“The apps bring a component of exposing us to a high number of people, this completely changes the way people romantically and sexually interact. During any period in human history, we were exposed to a significantly lower number of people.
“For example, we would probably just marry the first girl we came across in our village and had to be content with that!
“However, now there is an option to see more people from these apps than our ancestors would’ve seen in their whole lifetimes.”
The user added that this was an example of over stimulation in a romantic sense: “We are already over stimulated in many ways, such as in the activities we do and food we eat. This may lead to many problems in our relationship as one may always be thinking in the back of their head if there is going to be someone more desirable out there.
“It’s why so many people keep their options open these days and are having relationships without the label”.
A second respondent is now in a long-term relationship with someone they met through social media, but had previously been on multiple dating apps such as Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, and Grindr.
They had found a previous relationship through Bumble and met someone they’re now best friends with on Grindr.
They shared their thoughts on their experience: “I have found success on dating apps as a self-proclaimed serial dater for a long period of time.
“I met some really interesting people many of which I’m still good friends with after a few years!”.
Our third respondent is currently in a relationship with someone they had met on Tinder. They had previously used Tinder, as well as Hinge.
“I met my current boyfriend on Tinder a year and a half ago. I’d never really been a big fan of dating apps, talking to multiple ‘options’ at the same time has never been something that appealed to me,” they said.
“I think it usually ends up with someone’s feelings getting hurt. I used to always think ‘if this was 25 years ago would this be normal? Trying to pursue multiple people at the same time?’.
Swiping right Isn’t the most romantic way of meeting
“I didn’t ever really think I would end up with a relationship from using Tinder, most people seem to be on there just out of boredom and validation.
“When me and my boyfriend first got together, we both made jokes about how embarrassing it was having to tell our families and friends how we actually met.
“Swiping right on each other isn’t the most romantic way of meeting, but I suppose finding a genuine connection on something like that is rare, so in a way it makes it special”.
The final respondent had previously used Tinder and Hinge but deleted both after using them for a few months. “Using them was fun at first. I had come out of a relationship a couple of months before, so it was exciting meeting new people again.
“After a while though it just felt like you was having the same conversations and any sort of connection I made was only ever surface level. I deleted my profiles after having them for four months, but not consistently active on there.
“It just felt like a waste of time, I’d much rather meet people in real life … but I know everyone’s different.”
So, are dating apps for people in Liverpool a swipe right or left? Are people reverting back to ‘traditional’ ways of meeting romantic partners? Or is there hope for finding love on these platforms?
