We are more connected to the world than ever before but then why aren’t we dating more? The rising influence of technology in our lives is one way to look at it but there’s more than what meets the eye.
Let’s start with the obvious culprit, Technology. I might sound like an old boomer but it’s true, we are slowly communicating less in the real world and more in the virtual world. We are more isolated than ever before. We order everything online from food to our diabetic medicine. We hardly call anyone, we text them and when someone unknown calls we all have spam blockers and caller ID apps to see who we are going to talk to. Basically limiting our interaction with strangers.
So we even moved our dating online. Apps like Tinder & OkCupid are among a vast sea of dating apps that remove the process which is usually required in old-school dating.
Yet we are dating way lesser than we think we are.
Why so?
To understand this we need to look at how these apps are designed.
In these apps, you are expected to market yourself based on your looks and a short bio, which may or may not be true. Thus, expect to see plenty of fakes. A large number of apps and their users give you an almost endless pool of humans.
What all this leads to is something called an illusion of choice, which makes the average person search endlessly for the perfect someone. Not to forget, you folks are the reason these apps are in business, so why would they want you off the platform?
But, blaming the dating apps alone is just like scratching the surface.
We as humans have evolved a lot from time to time, not just physically but also psychologically. According to a Pew Research Center survey from around the world, Adults under 40 are less likely to be religiously affiliated. Previously, it was a societal norm to get married at a certain age, get kids and lead a fulfilling religious life but as times changed religion and society went on the sidelines. Making folks wait instead of rushing to find their ideal mates.
Unlike the beliefs, on average, Millennials work more hours than the previous generations. According to research conducted by Deloitte, Millennials are doing far worse financially than generations before them, with student loans, rising rents and higher healthcare costs.
Look, after the 2008 financial crisis, wages have dropped significantly and even if they increased, they are not as same as what they were before 2008. On the flip side though, everything else has gotten costlier from food to rent to even a normal date. It’s more rewarding to be a career-first individual than to go on dates.
You see, dating was always difficult, and it still is. It’s just that today it is tougher than ever before and that doesn’t mean we are doing things wrong. Maybe the conveniences we are offered and the modern-day issues are making things complicated.
