17 Millenials Explain How They Really Feel About The Messed-Up Digital Dating World

The location-based social network Yik Yak asked young men and women: What can be done about the modern app-based dating culture?

Grace Chung
Grace Chung

1. “It’s hard to keep your head up when you can assume everyone’s talking to a bunch of other people at all times too.”

2. “If you are in a relationship you have already gone further than half the people of this generation because nobody dates anymore.”

3. “I feel like social media outlets have destroyed what it means to have a relationship. In the back of our minds, we always know there can be someone else in a half-sec to replace whoever we’re with if things go bad, or if we just happen to change our mind or whatever.”

4. “We live in a pick-and-choose world, where we like to have everything at our fingertips. I can’t say I’d have it any other way. Why commit to one flavor when you can sample a bunch of different ones whenever you want instead?”

5. “I have met some of my best friends on dating apps—not anyone I’m interested in romantically, but still. Can’t be mad at that.”

6. “Met my bf on tinder, and I used to think swiping right for that kid was the best decision of my life. Then I found out he never actually stopped swiping, even after we met and totally hit if off. Typical.”

7. “The way we interact with others is changing, fast, and that’s terrifying. Like, I can’t really remember the last time I had an in-depth, in-person conversation with a dude I was interested in. How messed up is that?”

8. “The Internet and social media allow you to meet many more people than you would otherwise, people you could never hope to meet in your day-to-day. And having a larger pool means you can find better people, and people who are better for you. I haven’t really met anyone yet but I have hope!”

9. “The way I see it, you can keep trying to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic, or you can try to find a boat that isn’t destined to sink.”

10. “Before dating apps there was dating by mail and before that speed dating and before that news adverts. We aren’t doomed.”

11. “Suggesting that we go about meeting people the same way as people in the 90s doesn’t take into account the massive cultural change that has happened in the past 15 years. There’s no going back, whether you like it or not.”

12. “Someone needs to make a dating app that doesn’t require you to pay for their best features. Of course, it’ll never happen because people are greedy, but it would be nice.”

13. “Dating apps are an alternative. It’s possible to meet people in person. It just takes way too much time.”

14. “People are people, technology only changes people in ways that they want to be changed. 100 years ago I bet people were saying ‘What the hell are we gonna do about telephone culture?!?!’”

15. “Personally, I’m against Tinder. I just find it to be too subjective and superficial. People look at a pic or two and read a little bio and then decide if they want to date that person. It’s totally surface level. I can’t do that.”

16. “Dating apps and website are losing functionality. OkCupid for example used to be awesome, now it sucks. Tinder does a lot of things right, but a lot wrong too. I’m ready for whatever’s next.”

17. “Well I’m marrying a guy I met on tinder, so I wouldn’t say they’re entirely bad.” Thought Catalog Logo Mark

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