Old Fashioned Values in a High-Tech World

In this day and age, it has become apparent that technology is only becoming a bigger part of our lives. From facial identification on our phones to being able to turn lights on with the sound of your voice, it is no surprise that technology has also taken over the dating world as well. From Tinder to OkCupid, there are a wide variety of dating sites and mobile applications for singletons to utilize to find their potential match. In fact, there may be too many options for users to choose from. What if the superfluous amount of dating technology is driving people back to basics, to return to their roots and meet people “the old-fashioned way,” in person.

A recent survey conducted by Doppler Social App found that no matter what age, gender, race or political affiliation, half of Americans prefer to meet a potential date in-person rather than on a dating app. Considering the amount of new and unique dating apps including Bristl, Hater and Sizzl to name a few, it is confounding to see that an equal amount of men and women prefer to forego dating apps when looking for a potential relationship. In the time of the millennial and when technology is at its greatest, why would more people be opting to stay away from online dating? Doppler Social App’s CEO and founder Craig Cole believes that “dating apps can be a great catalyst for people to find each other and break the ice with less pressure through technology. But dating apps can also cause the spark to fizzle because it can take so long to actually meet in-person, leading to dates flaking out or plans never being set.”

Over the years, advancements in technology including cars, computers and cellphones have continued to improve our way of life exponentially. When Match.com went live in 1995, it changed the dating world forever. It allowed people another avenue to meet dates without the pressure of putting themselves out there, in the real world. From then on, online dating became a normal addition to the list of ways people were meeting each other. Now, with thousands of dating apps and sites to choose from, why are millennials, baby boomers and everyone in between reverting back to meeting in person? The answer is: there’s no actual dating happening on these sites and apps. Sure, people are swiping and exchanging messages, but the rarity of setting plans and following through has got singles ditching tech and embracing face-to-face interaction.

In order to keep the online dating community thriving, dating apps and sites need to recognize that people, though more tech-savvy than ever before, still harken back to tried-and-true ways of meeting potential mates. Services like Doppler Social App, which focuses on getting users offline by guiding them to local hotspots and connecting them through shared interests will grow in this ever-changing dating climate.