By Hannah Dooley, Marketing Executive for Aspect IT
Aspect IT, based in Springhead, offers IT support, cloud services, website design, software development and more. Find out more online www.aspectit.co.uk or call 0161 241 9050.
TECHNOLOGY is changing the way we meet people, establish connections, and maintain relationships.
Your parents may have told you how they met their significant other organically, through work or friends. At present, you’re more likely to hear two people met online, whether that be through social media or dating apps.
The market for dating apps has boomed in the past few years, especially because the pandemic has limited our human interaction.
The online dating market value was around £74 million last year. The endless apps give a myriad of choices and the growth of social media allows others to get to know us before we’ve ever met. This presents multiple positive and negative effects:
Endless Possibilities: Dating apps allow us to establish connections with people near or far. This may seem like a positive, but it can make us more focused on the process rather than the result.
We get an ego boost from matches and there’s less of a fear of rejection. For every few rejections, you get a match!
This poses the question: are we placing less emphasis on quality connections over quantity?
Why stick to one person when you have 10 matches, right? It makes it more difficult to form deeper connections and can make us view our partners as expendable. Is there really ‘the one’ anymore?
Superficial? Technology has made dating quite superficial. A lot of online dating is solely based on looks, and it’s comparable to shopping for your next partner!
Even subconsciously, we judge people on their appearance first when looking at profiles.
Eventually, you end up not even giving a chance to anyone who would attract your attention in real life simply because they are not perfect.
Online dating has also caused us to place more worth on other’s opinions of us, which can lead to a lower sense of self-worth and lower confidence levels.
The Good: Many people find long lasting, healthy relationships and online dating allows people who struggle with communication or confidence to access a safe space.
Another positive is its flexibility and convenience. You can use dating apps on different devices, which makes it easy to check your matches on the go. The beauty is you’re in control. You decide who you want to converse with, and you can block people if they’re a nuisance.
To conclude, technology has impacted dating in both a positive and negative way. Although we may be dehumanising love in a way, it provides opportunities for deeper connection down the line, especially to people who would struggle to find the confidence to date.
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