Is Online Dating Ruining Romance?

This is a thought process that I've been toying with for a little while now. As you may or may not know, I am single, and obvs looking for love. (🤢🤮) And of course, when it comes to dating/meeting someone in this generation, it's all about online dating. Aka. My worst enemy. I currently have a love/hate with online dating. Mainly because I'm fighting against being a hopeless romantic and also being lazy.

Cons

I find the modern day dating apps quite shallow. For example; Tinder and Bumble both require for you to look at a bunch of images and decide instantly if you're physically attracted to them in just a handful of photos. Then if you're attracted, you swipe left. If you're not, swipe right. If yourself and the other person both swipe yes, you match. And boom. There begins the conversation. I believe that when it comes to dating, yes you need to be attracted to the person in some sort of sense, however it's also a lot more than just that.

 I talked all about my experience with Tinder on my YouTube. Click below to watch that for my full, honest review.

Call me old fashioned, but I always imagined the story of how I met the Love Of My Life not including an online presence. Not straight away, anyway. I want it to be some epic love story, but I also realise how unrealistic that probably is. But like they say in the films: I'm entitled to have high standards. And why should I settle for less? I want a romance to start like they do in films and in books. Not by saying, "he found me fit, so he swiped left."

Pros

It's only fair that if I sit here completely bashing online dating, that I need some arguments from the opposite point of view.

It's an easy tool to use to either meet new people or start "talking" to someone at the comfort of where you are. You don't need to be outside in public in a bar, or a coffee shop. You can be at home, watching TV, listening to music, etc. Online dating can be transported anywhere. It's a limited tool.

Another pro of online dating is that if you're someone like me and you have social anxiety, it's a good way of becoming comfortable before actually having to be face to face with someone. Being put into situations where I have to sit there, start conversations and keep it flowing actually frightens me sometimes. So spending time online and chatting with them in a comfortable environment, learning their little quirks and personality; will then make it easier when meeting it in person.

There's no pressure. You don't need to reply instantly. You can come back to the conversation once you've thought of a logical response, or something interesting. You're not stood opposite them, them looking over at you and waiting for you to finally respond. Which kind of links me back to the social anxiety thing.

Overall, I would prefer an epic love story like you see in the films or read in the books. But with this day and age and how pro-technology this generation is, I don't really think we have a choice on it anymore.

Let me know what your thoughts are online dating. Are you pro dating apps or against them? Let's discuss it in the comments!