To app or not to app: Digital dating has its ups and downs

3 months ago 4 min read 1
Sincity Press Brief

The digital dating universe is vast. You can have bad experiences—like, really bad, if you’re not careful. But if you play your cards right, you can also potentially find your best friend or the love(s) of your life.

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Thu, Feb 12, 2026 (2 a.m.)

Unlike older millennials who dabbled successful compatibility-based dating sites similar Match oregon OkCupid, I started dating connected apps successful college. Tinder, “the hookup app,” was fashionable then. That was much than 10 years ago. After I graduated, determination was Bumble. Then Hinge came along. And Gen Z these days mightiness beryllium utilizing immoderate app I’m not chill capable to cognize astir yet.

The integer dating beingness is vast. You tin person atrocious experiences—like, truly bad. You tin endanger your information oregon wellness if you’re not careful. But if you play your cards right, you tin besides perchance find your champion person oregon the love(s) of your life. I’ve experienced oregon seen it spell some ways. 

So however bash you extremity up connected the broadside with the bully results? There’s nary metallic bullet, due to the fact that everyone’s dating styles and goals are different. But 1 spot to commencement is to measurement the pros and cons. 

Pros

You indispensable look within. Profile formats alteration depending connected the app. But generally, creating 1 requires you to cognize astir yourself, your individuality and your preferences. And portion determination are galore radical who don’t request an app to cognize these things, determination are besides galore who payment from being prompted to deliberation intentionally astir them. 

Open up your societal circle. There are a batch of radical connected the apps who conscionable moved to Las Vegas, oregon they’re going done a beingness alteration (breakup, divorce, mid-life crisis, etc.) and conscionable request to spell extracurricular their norms and present much spontaneity successful their lives. That tin beryllium nice, if that’s the vigor you’re going for.

Choose your ain adventure. It’s not each hookups. Now, astir apps let users to show their intentions—whether they’re looking for a friend, a person with benefits, beingness partner, unicorn. It’s bully to person that accusation up beforehand truthful you don’t discarded clip connected idiosyncratic whose goals don’t align with yours. 

Cons

It’s a clip suck. You tin walk hours swiping, which could beryllium amended spent gathering radical successful the existent satellite done activities oregon volunteering. Many an hr person I spent sitting and swiping, erstwhile I could’ve been talking to immoderate cutie astatine a barroom oregon the gym.

Catfishing and fraud. Sometimes radical aren’t who they accidental they are successful their profile, which tin beryllium a insignificant annoyance oregon thing much nefarious. And look verification doesn’t surface for lies. Compared to dating IRL, by utilizing an app, you’re expanding your chances of being scammed. 

Losing religion successful humanity. There are a batch of unspeakable profiles that scope from boring to offensive. You mightiness person to swipe done 100 profiles to find 1 that’s worthy pursuing, and that tin beryllium demoralizing and marque you consciousness similar it’s intolerable to find what you’re looking for.

Verdict

To app oregon not to app? It depends. Consider archetypal your consciousness of identity, intelligence wellness and whether you are resilient to rejection and disappointment. If those things are not successful line, you’re going to person a atrocious time. If they are successful line, past things volition autumn into place. 

The astir invaluable acquisition I’ve learned from utilizing dating apps is patience. Like with astir things that are worthwhile, it’s a agelong game. If you’re connected determination to find a day for that wedding you’re going to adjacent week, it’s much apt they’re going to beryllium random and not a bully fit. If you dispersed your swiping retired implicit time, you mightiness find a bully drawback that’s close for you. 

Most importantly, beryllium astute and safe. Meet successful nationalist places. Tell a person wherever you’re going and cheque successful with them after. Watch your drink. Use protection. Don’t stock your telephone fig oregon wherever you unrecorded until you’re definite they’re safe. Don’t extremity up successful a existent transgression documentary. Oh yeah—and effort to person fun!

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Shannon Miller joined Las Vegas Weekly successful aboriginal 2022 arsenic a unit writer. Since 2016, she has gathered a smorgasbord ...

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