According to Pew Research Centre, a whopping 30% of U.S. adults have used a dating site or app to try and find love. A majority of online daters say their overall experience was positive, but some users, young women in particular, reported negative experiences of receiving explicit messages and even harassment.
Today, three-in-ten U.S. adults say they have ever used an online dating site or app – including 11% who have done so in the past year, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.
For a few lucky ones, these platforms have helped form meaningful connections. For example, 12% of respondents say they have married or been in a committed relationship with someone they first met through a dating site or app. This surely gives hope for many love seekers out there.
Moreover, about a quarter of Americans (23%) have gone on a date with someone they first met through a dating site or app.
On the other hand, online dating can be truly daunting, so no wonder that a new phenomenon called dating app fatigue has emerged. The term refers to a sense of burnout people get from using dating apps for a long period of time and not seeing or getting what they want from the interactions they have.
People still continue using the app in hopes of finding what they are looking for to the point where they are completely tired of searching, and utterly hopeless.
The relationship expert Callisto Adams from Lovehoney suggests managing the time you spend on dating apps. “Setting clear limits on exactly how long you intend to swipe on dating apps can be a great way to manage fatigue. While on dating apps, it can be easy to get lost in a surge of swiping; it is therefore important to take a step back and be mindful of the time you are spending online.”
Adams’ other tip is to not swipe on someone you’d never talk to. “When continuously swiping on a dating app, it can become easy to zone out and lose touch with what you truly want from a partner,” she argues. “This can leave you with numerous matches but none of which you actually have a genuine interest in. Instead, make sure to stay in tune with what you truly desire from a potential match.”
