In the year of 2025, it feels as though almost everyone in their 20s has tried meeting their romantic partner on a dating app. For those that found love ‘organically’ through friends or random meet-cutes, you’re among the lucky few. As for the rest of us, we must survive the wildlands of dating apps like Tinder, Hinge, or Bumble to find our next relationship or even “the one”. Finding love on a dating app is similar to winning the lottery, considering all the obstacles it takes to get there.
This new era of dating apps has completely changed the way that people perceive themselves and others. Apps like Tinder have revolutionized the concept of ‘hookup culture’ taking it to new extremes, making it harder to find genuine connections. The intertwining of hookup culture within the dating app world has transformed the way people view dating and romantic relationships as a whole.
The creation of the phone has introduced humanity to the dopamine-high of receiving instant gratification. This is exemplified through the way most 20 year olds swipe on TikTok, only focusing on a video for less than a minute before growing bored and moving onto the next one. In this instance, TikTok shares similarities with many dating apps where people can swipe left/right or up/down to determine whether they match with the person on their screen. Before dating apps, most people would determine whether they were interested in someone based on their conversations together or their personality. However, now all it takes is a mindless swipe of your finger to decide whether someone is worth your time. Dating apps have become a game instead of a method of finding genuine romantic connections.
Along with instant gratification, another issue with dating apps is that they’re focused on the superficial. Although dating before apps did focus on how attractive someone was, it has been taken to a whole new level. With an app like Tinder, someone can see one photo and immediately swipe left (not a match) without a second thought about their personality. Because everything is centered around looks, dating apps can also have an effect on someone’s self worth. On most dating apps you’re able to see how many people have liked your profile and what their profiles look like. Although this can play into the instant gratification aspect if they get a lot of likes, it can also cause a decline in someone’s self worth if they don’t receive a lot of likes. This concept can be seen in other apps like Instagram as well, except with the amount of likes a person’s post can get. Although even I can admit it’s not just Tinder that shoulders the blame for our shallow mindset.
Lastly, dating apps have introduced a whole new relationship concept called the “situationship”. The situationship was born out of the prioritization of hookup culture and the desire for a longer relationship without exclusive labels. Situationships are used as a method of getting out of defining a romantic relationship as well as avoiding vulnerability. Many people in their 20s have experienced a situationship or two by this point with most ending in heartbreak or tears. Situationships were not made for long-term healthy relationships and the same can be said for dating apps.
Though dating apps can be fun in the moment, they can also be detrimental to our wellbeing. Although dating apps will probably be around for a very long time, it doesn’t make them a good use of your time. Next time you go to swipe through Tinder, instead try talking to someone you’re interested in at a bar or coffee shop. You never know who might walk right into your life at the right moment.