Smartphones have changed the way we exercise, the way we cook, even the way we walk around cities. (Sometimes stepping out into traffic without looking, unfortunately.) So it’s no surprise that smartphones have changed the way we date in a multitude of ways.
Some smartphone statistics are bleak and might make you think twice about the benefit of the digital age, but it’s not all bad news! Some changes are actually positive, or at least different. Nowadays, about 20% of relationships start online, a number that jumps to 70% for LGBTQ relationships. This is a testament to how dating apps have allowed people to find each other, particularly for groups who may not have as many spaces for meeting people ‘IRL’.
Moreover, there’s a dating app for absolutely everyone, with over 7,500 different apps to choose from. There are the well-known ones like Tinder or Bumble, but you can go as niche as you like, with Toffee (for private school alums), Bristir (for lovers of beards), Raya (for A-list celebrities), and Donald Daters (for Trump supporters). Of course, catfishing (or deception about one’s appearance or traits) is always a risk, with 81% of people lying about their appearance in some respect. But there are always plenty more fish–and apps–in the sea.