How to Find Love in the Digital Age
Before you can share any of these hilarious memes with a significant other, you’ll need to find that person. But as you might have discovered, it’s often easier said than done. The search for love takes a fair amount of time. And effort. And sometimes heaps of frustration. The good news is, nowadays you can start your search from the comfort of your couch.
Blaine Anderson is an expert in navigating the wild world of dating in the 21st century. She’s helped thousands of people get off their dating apps. And into a real relationship. She’s the founder of Dating With Blaine and kindly agreed to help us to help you. Stop swiping left and right for a moment. And keep scrolling down, for a deep dive into the daring journey of dating in the digital age.
We began by asking our expert whether dating apps are overrated.
Should we instead take a more old-school, traditional approach to meeting Mr. or Ms. Right? “Dating apps are definitely not the best way to meet a potential partner,” she said.
“Dating apps can be inefficient, because you spend so much time swiping and messaging; expensive, because apps increasingly limit your usage unless you pay for premium features; and limiting, because so many singles don't use them altogether.”
Why Your Dating App Profile Matters More Than You Think
Anderson had some stats to back up her statement. “I informally surveyed over 13,000 single women in the U.S. and U.K. on Instagram earlier this year, and literally 97% said they'd prefer to meet their future boyfriend IRL, versus online. I'm not sure 97% of people would agree the sky is blue, so that says something!” she revealed.
But the dating coach added that if she were to recommend an app, it'd have to be Hinge. "It's geared toward relationships (versus casual hookups), and it tends to have the biggest and most attractive userbase of similar apps," explained Anderson.
Are Dating Apps Worth Your Time?
Just because people would prefer to meet their potential life partner in real life, doesn’t mean they aren’t downloading dating apps anyway.
According to these stats, over 380 million people use them globally. If you’re already one of them, or are considering it, Anderson has this advice: “First and foremost, don't over-rely on dating apps!
Apps like Hinge are just one of many ways you can meet potential partners, and rarely the most effective."
How to Stand Out on Dating Apps
Anderson says some people don't realize just how important their profile photos are. And really need to up their game, "Deliberately get better photos," she advised.
"Prospective matches won't ever bother reading your bio if your photos aren't good, so focus there first.
Your goal with your photos is to visually tell the story of who you are, you want to highlight your hobbies and your personality. Getting great photos is hard work, and I recommend hiring a professional photographer to all of my clients."
Dating Red Flags to Watch Out For
Once you've spruced up your photos, pay careful attention to how you market yourself. And above all, be true to you.
“Your goal with your dating app bio is to write something that's uniquely ‘you’, both because you want to attract the right person, and because you need to stand out," said Anderson. "The key is getting granular with details.
Don't just say that you like brunch; talk about where you go and what you order. Dig one level deeper with your bio and prompts, and you'll get more matches!" See here for some hilarious Tinder bios shared online.
