Meeting new people is easy. Meeting new potential dating partners, though… not so much. The dating world can sometimes be a tough one to navigate, and the dating pool can seem fairly tiny. Many of us are fed up with waiting around for Prince Charming to show up somewhere in Biology class or at some bar downtown. So what about online dating? Does it really work? Nursing student Taylor Haywood and Airport Management student Jay Mapp sure think so.
In December 2013, Taylor decided to try an app called “Hot or Not” after ending a bad relationship.
“I was trying to get back in the dating scene and just wanted something light-hearted and fun,” says Taylor. While she may not have intended for a serious relationship to come out of downloading an app called “Hot or Not”, that’s certainly what she got.
“There’s an entire pool of people everyone’s missing out on,” says Taylor. “There are so many people in this world you could get along with, that don’t necessarily live in the town you’re in. I never would have met Jay. Online dating completely changed my life.”
And they aren’t letting the naysayers dictate their relationship.
Jay says, “A lot of people on there are immature and mean spirited. But it’s so easy to hit ignore. You just have to be smart about it.” And Taylor agrees, adding, “You have to Skype, you have to be on the phone. It’s just like any other relationship. You have to put in the work.”
While there may still be a stigma surrounding online dating (Catfish, anyone?), Taylor believes dating online is the way of the future for relationships.
“You’ve got a whole generation of kids who communicate this way. They’re growing up on social media, so I think the stigma is changing, for sure,” she says. “It may be weird, but I met my future wife,” adds Jay. “So… I win, right?”
Regardless of whether online dating becomes the primary mode of meeting people or not, it definitely opens up an abundance of possibilities if you’re willing –as long as you’re safe and smart about it.
Who knows? Maybe in twenty years saying you met your significant other online will be no different than saying you met in Biology. Everyone just needs a little time and an open mind, that’s all.