Do online dating apps make it less likely to find love?
I'm not entirely sure; I think the jury in my dead is still deliberating this one. I have no personal experience with them, but I have friends and acquaintances that have used them. A number of times I have toyed with the idea of using one, but felt that was just not me. Rightly or wrongly, I thought it seemed too much of a 'marketplace', and therefore something I wouldn't really want to be part of. I'm aware my mind can change though on these types of things.
Some friends and acquaintances told me of their experiences with them. Some funny; some worrying; some difficult to believe and some unbelievable. Then there are the experiences that are encouraging.
A friend told me of his experiences. He had been divorced for several years, and later he decided he wanted to find someone to spend the remainder of his life with; something that he was determined in doing. At the time he was in his early 50's. He joined several dating apps and went on just over 60 dates with 40 women. I thought, you have got to be kidding me!
Obviously, he had more than one date with some of those women. He said some were just weird; a few were scary; some made him think, "What planet are you on?" Some were very nice, but he thought not for him. Some wanted a free meal, literally, and never wanted a follow-up date. Unbelievably, one brought a friend along with her, who also wanted her meal paid for.
On some dates, the woman got up and left. On others, he got up and left. He told me of a sign on the wall in the 'restroom' of a pub/restaurant he was at. The sign said something like, "If you need to leave and leave safely, ask for Dave at the bar". He said on one date he had to go to the bar and ask for Dave! He was taken out of the restaurant area through a private door, along a corridor, and out of the building. I never knew of this sign; I tend not to read things on toilet walls. No doubt there is a similar sign in the women’s restroom.
On his last date via the App (let's say it was his 63rd date), he met someone who he said seemed very different. He said at first he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Several dates later with the same person he said he started to think if this was the one for him. I met her when a group of us went out for a drink. I thought she seemed very 'knowing'; very perceptive of people and the people she had met for the first time at that particular social gathering we were at.
They are getting married later this year; I've been invited.
The only 'internet dating' I've been on wasn't really internet dating, as such. We 'met' on a forum, eventually meeting up in what I call 'the real world'. The first date lasted a whole week. The relationship lasted four years.
