There are more than 200 million active users of dating apps worldwide, according to the National Library of Medicine.
Aged-care worker, Emily Priest, uses dating apps to meet people, blaming her work roster as a reason she struggles to meet people in person.
“Working long hours and night shifts has ensured that I won’t meet anyone normally,” Ms Priest said.
Ms Priest describes how despite the success of using the apps, it was an exhausting process.
“You would be a great conversation and really getting along with someone but they can suddenly disappear onto the next person, it’s emotionally exhausting,” she said.
Ms Priest highlighted how since meeting her partner she had come to appreciate the process and experience of the app.
“I met my partner on Hinge,” she said.
While apps streamline the process of meeting new people, the ease of discarding potential partners or moving on quickly has created a culture of detachment.
According to Compatico, 65 per cent of those surveyed reported ghosting someone they had talked to on a dating app without meeting in person, 54 per cent ghosted after one physical date, while 39 per cent did so after multiple dates. About 30 per cent said that they ghosted after a single sexual encounter.
Dating apps and platforms have contributed to a rise in casual dating and situationships, making long-term relationships less of a priority.
Nursing student Ali Swan has shared her experience with the dating app boom.
“Sometimes you just feel like you are disposable,” she said.
“If it doesn’t workout straight away people will move on without a second thought.
“When I joined Hinge it felt different, I mean I have had a few meaningful connections, but it’s difficult to focus on just one person when there are so many apps out there. What if there is something better.”
Many dating platforms are reliant on algorithms in order to match users based on their preferences, interests and behaviour patterns. While there has been long-term success through this, others feel they are reduced to the impulse of meeting someone naturally.
Ms Priest said that her success on dating apps can be attributed to the app’s algorithm and filtering system.
“Being able to pick and choose profiles and chat before meeting in person is probably the reason why I found someone who aligns with my values,” she said.
