HYDERABAD: Valentine’s day is here and surprisingly the ones who are making the most noise about the occasion among the Hyderabadi youth are those who are single! While a lot of couples are either indifferent to the occasion or claim that “They don’t need a specific day to celebrate their love,” single men and women are busy trying to find a date for Valentine’s Day.
Unlike before where meeting new people wasn’t always easy (let alone falling in love), youngsters today have access to dating apps, such as Tinder, Aisle, Truly Madly, and so on.
These apps (some free, some paid), selects people at random and gives you the option of swiping left or right, depending on whether you like the person or not. When two people swipe right to each other, then it’s a match.
But while these apps continue to increase in number, do they actually work? and will they help you find your valentine? Vamsi Mohan, a city-based product designer seems to think so.
“Tinder is a great place to meet new people. I’m normally a socially-awkward person and I find it difficult to break the ice with new people. Dating apps have made it much easier since I first talk to that person through the app and by the time I meet her, I already know her well and hence, I’m more comfortable talking to her,” Vamsi observes.
The 28-year-old, who will be spending Valentine’s Day with a date he met on Tinder, says dating apps have made a huge difference to his social life.
“The best part is that if you don’t like a person, you can just un-match them from your profile and poof, they’re gone. You don’t have to deal with awkwardness like in real life. You can choose who you want to speak to and then decide to take it forward,” Vamsi explains.
And while dating apps do provide a quick and ideal platform to meet strangers, they also have drawbacks. According to global researchers, a significant number of Tinder users have found that the fun of swiping doesn’t necessarily translate into the real world.
“I once went out with a girl on Tinder, but after meeting her, it seemed like I was part of an interrogation rather than a date. It was clear that the girl was trying to see if I’m ‘marriage material’ or not. And that takes the fun out of dating – a lot of girls in Hyderabad do not use it for what it’s meant to be, which is casual dating or hookups,” laments Rahul Bhushan, who works in the hospitality industry.
But for those, who are looking for more serious relationships –there are apps like Truly Madly or Aisle, which help choose your life partner.
“Unlike Tinder, Truly Madly bases its matches on common interests, like TV shows, music, sports, etc. This way, you can check your compatibility with the other person and then begin the conversation. Normally, since you already have common interests with the other person, it becomes easier to hit it off,” shares Rashi Sengupta, an MBA student in Hyderabad.
Even as people debate the pros and cons of dating apps, one consensus among everybody is that they are a rip-off.
“It’s a money-making machine. Almost all dating apps are paid and even in Tinder, which is a free app, there’s more likelihood of getting a match if you subscribe to Tinder Plus, by paying. All these apps basically encourage you to shell out money and none of them guarantees you anything out of it,” says Moses John Paul, a city-based documentary filmmaker.
So while young couples celebrate Valentine’s Day today, the virtual world of likes, boosts and swipes continue to lure people looking for love.