Dating apps have become a rage worldwide and they are catching up just as fast in India. Since the advent of the internet, people have connected, built friendships, started relationships, got married and raised families with people they have met online. Earlier, people would meet on chat rooms of messengers and then graduate to exchanging contacts and take it forward from there. Social networking sites like Orkut and Facebook made meeting people online a lot easier and then came messengers like Whatsapp which took chatting to a whole new level. While Facebook is still one of the most popular platforms for people to meet and start dating, with dating apps in the picture, there is less beating around the bush and more cutting to the chase.
Saying that today’s youth is looking for “love” online could be a bit of an oversimplification. The right thing to say would probably be that people are looking for a lot of things on the internet and that includes love. Not everyone who is registered on a dating app is looking to find the love of their life. Some are looking for a nice date on a lonely evening and some want to just blow off some steam. The youth’s mindset has changed and they are looking for companionship. So, why is the youth looking for it in the virtual world? Why do most relationships start online these days? Let us try to decode the reasons.
Busy lives – Today’s youth is probably busy juggling a hectic corporate job and maintaining a house in some city that is not home. It is hard to have an active social life and meeting new people when the only people you end up meeting are the people from work. While workplace romances have always been pretty common, it is not always what people prefer. On the other hand, the internet is letting you choose who you want to befriend and decide the extent of the friendship. The internet bestows the kind of control that the youth loves.
Lack of patience – Today’s youth is impatient. They are always in haste. From instant noodles to instant messaging, the youth likes to live in the moment. Gone are the days of wooing and classical romance. Today’s youth does not find the first person online and decides to spend the rest of their lives with them. They want to meet new people and meet more people and sometimes many people at the same time before they can make up their mind.
Countless options – Today’s youth is overwhelmed by options. There are options to meet new people on Facebook or you can join a dating app and decide who you want to date. On these apps, people are upfront and not coy about how they want to take the association forward. There is less wasting of time in figuring out what people want and the youth loves options. People are profiles before they become something more serious. If one profile does not make the cut for you, there are a thousand of others out there.
There is no denying the fact that the internet has opened up a lot of avenues when it comes to dating and relationships. Just because you have met someone online does not mean that person is not real and a real relationship cannot be built with them. On the other hand, just because a person’s online profile looks perfect does not mean they are perfect themselves. Today’s youth is uninhibited and free spirited and there is nothing holding them back. They have embraced the idea of finding love online just like they have embraced the internet.
If loneliness has ever seen an all-time high, thanks to the busy schedules induced by the evolution of the computers and the internet. People have grown far from the nears and dears and try to find a stable relationship online. I feel, a major reason for that is the overrated online life of the people.
Secondly, the corporate culture has devoided children the time and care from their parents. This further enhances the chances of looking for a virtual relationship.