This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at WVWC chapter.

Not too long ago there was still a stigma around online dating and dating apps. Older generations who aren’t familiar with the new technology were stumped by how people were meeting over a screen and making connections. Nowadays, this stigma while not fully gone is greatly reduced. Communication in any form is now at the center of our phones and computer screens and love is just a swipe or click away. However, as normal and exciting as dating apps have become, like any relationship, the concept has its flaws.

So, here are some pros and cons of having the potential of love at your fingertips.

Pros:

1. Apps can help you narrow down your options so you don’t waste your time with people whom you don’t share similar interests with. This can include narrowing down age, location, sexual preference, and physical appearance.

2. You get to find out a lot of basic information about a person before you meet them.

3. You get to see singles that you would never normally meet; yay more options!

4. You can see a variety of singles without having to leave your home.

5. You can always close the app when you get bored or no longer want to talk to a person anymore.

6. If you get a match, let’s face it, it feels good.

Cons:

1. It can be hard to keep real conversation over an app; especially with the lack of body language or social cues.

2. You have to navigate people’s intentions. Are they there to hook up or for a serious relationship? Did their friends make them create this profile or do they just match with people for fun?

3. It’s harder to truly get to know the person. There is only so far a relationship can go in texts or phone calls. Eventually, if you feel the person is worth it, you will still have to work up the courage and make time in your schedules to meet each other.

4. You are more open to harassment, those people who never stop texting you, or the dreaded naked pictures you never asked for.

5. If you do meet in person eventually, they may not look like their profile pictures.

6. Dating can become less sincere. If the person we match with suddenly has one flaw, we are more prone to just drop them and move on to the next match, where in face-to-face dating, we may be more inclined to be patience and listen without immediately reacting.

Image Sources:

https://yourstory.com/2017/06/millennials-and-dating-apps/

https://tech.co/dating-apps-causing-increase-stds-2016-05

http://www.livememe.com/k90ycjl