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Nowadays, young people especially millennials are living in a parallel world in comparison with their parents, the generation X. They look a bit lazy in the real world but are fairly active in the virtual world, the internet. Surfing around various websites and social media platforms day and night, they are so obsessed with mobile phones that they even put them under the pillow when they go to sleep.
Once, dating Apps on phones were popular and well-received among young people and it helped many find romantic partners, and some got married eventually.
In real world, not many people around me ever mentioned that they are using dating Apps to find their Mr Right or Dear Lady. Maybe they are to shy to talk about it casually. But one of my classmates did use dating App and found his wife, as I attended the wedding ceremony. The boy was frank about his romantic story, even proud of his cleverness in using new technology finding his girl. That’s amazing.
02
However, the wind has changed its directions recently, people’s attitude towards dating Apps has changed. What are the reasons beyond it?
Firstly, there are many opportunities out there on social media and platforms, to get to know new people and share personal information, and then develop an intimate relationship gradually. So people are not very keen on access to dating Apps as before.
Secondly, people might feel frustrated in using dating Apps, as they will be depressed and feel sad when they are rejected by someone on the other side. Or they have to reject others, sometimes not in the kindest way. It may damage one’s confidence and make the applicant feel like a loser.
Thirdly, research shows that only 5％ of people who are using dating Apps will meet up with someone through them, because many people using dating Apps are just out of curiosity. Their motives in access to dating Apps are not seriously involved in finding a partner, but to pass time and for entertainment.
Fourthly, the experiences in using dating Apps are not as good as we thought it was going to. So people might feel disappointed and disillusioned, then lose interest in them. They are jaded about it. Besides, given the advanced photography technology, pictures posted online are far from the true profile of a person. Cheated pictures, like selfies, as we often refer to.
03
Finally, although young people, millennials in particular, are not attracted by dating Apps any more, they are still a big business. According to the research, it is worth around ＄600 million in USA only. We don’t know what the future of the industry will be, while it definitely provides a way to find a romantic and suitable partner for some groups in society.
