According to a report from Standford University, 4 out of 10 people meet through social media and dating apps. Today when we celebrate #SanValentínfrom PRNoticias.com we enter this world of love and digital environments… Where is romanticism? Have apps and networks already moved to parties and bars to find a partner?
Experts say that Instagram, TikTok, Tinder/Grinder, Bumble, Snapchat, BeReal and even Twitch have become the flirting sites par excellence, where back and forth messages, reactions and interactions are the new way to flirt.
One of those experts is Enan Lopez de Freitas, CMO of The White Rabbit. “Dating APPs, together with social networks, have become the place to find, more quickly, people with the same interests and tastes in less time”, he affirms without hesitation, and thus answers some questions about this Interesting theme…
– Love and new technologies, since when do both words fit in the same sentence?
-Since the birth of Facebook, love and technology go hand in hand, when the social network allowed us to put our marital status, and even associate it with other accounts if we were in a relationship or married. But with the pandemic, everything has been intensifying because, although the restrictions were clear, many people throughout the world have not fully complied with them, and have joined other people who lived near them. With the ease that dating applications have to work with the location and the kilometers around, the unions were easier, and couples have been created more quickly, especially given the need for contact.
– Couples and covid-19, how did new technologies help?
-New technologies were fundamental, not only to form new couples but also to help maintain them. For this, the use of instant messaging (whatsapp and telegram) has been key, but video calls have been incorporated as communication centers; and other types of applications that have been used, for example, to send gifts or share a dinner at the same time as our partner. Undoubtedly, new technologies have been key during covid-19 and have been maintained during the post-pandemic era.
– Are there estimates of how many couples in Spain meet through digital environments?
-The latest industry reports estimate that 4 out of 10 couples in Spain have met through the digital environment, and this includes dating applications and social networks.
– Dating apps, where is the romance?
-You have to understand that dating apps currently have two clear objectives: the first is to find fun or have sex, without any kind of commitment. The second, without a doubt, is still the search for love. And this occurs, just like in a public place, with attraction at first sight and anywhere in the world. People need to feel, even a minimum of physical and emotional security to be able to connect with the other, that is, to open up to intimacy. For this, autonomy, interest and dedication are needed. In this case it is key to have matches in interests and hobbies, life stories and more conversations that may arise prior to the meeting.
– Are dating apps displacing the traditional way of finding a partner?
-The two ways can coexist without any inconvenience. There will still be meeting a person in a bar, a birthday, university or work. There are practices that do not disappear from the social imaginary, but are added to it and adapt to current times.
– Are social networks displacing dating Apps to find a partner?
– In this sense a little yes. Just as dating apps have been successful at first, social networks have been joining the game. But in this case it happens because there one can get to know the person (or at least what the person wants to show), and see their friends, their family, their lifestyle, the plans they make and more. Perhaps in many cases, social networks provide more security than a dating app that, after all, ends in an almost blind date.
-What do you think will be next in this evolution to find a partner?
-Currently I think that the eye is still on dating applications, with many new ones that have been born recently like OkCupid, and new social networks like TikTok have been added. But it is possible that the pairs could first form in the metaverse and then move to the real world very soon.
Any surprises among the same Dating Apps?
-Applications need to continue monetizing their product as they add more and better features. Don’t be surprised that new subscriptions with higher values than we are used to will soon be added.
– Are the “fueguitos” the new compliments? Has the online environment changed the language to conquer?
-The little fires have already gone out of style. The reactions may have been significant a year or two ago. Generation Z, along with millennials, already send direct messages with what they have to say without further ado. The round trip of the likes has become obsolete.
– Are dating Apps and, in general, digital environments, a safe place to find a partner?
-No environment is 100% secure, neither physical nor digital. Even so, the applications have added methods to verify people and avoid future problems. In addition, accounts can be reported if any user encounters a situation that may seem strange. Still, a cautious person is worth two.
– How can security be maximized to avoid falling into the hands of scammers when looking for a partner in the online environment?
-After all, the last security link when meeting someone is yourself. Perhaps in the future the applications can add facial and fingerprint recognition, to add another step in security; the same could happen while using the metaverse.
– Are there statistics in Spain of couples who, once they have met in an online environment, last “for a lifetime”?
-Yes, 0%. No couple lasts a lifetime, if we consider life from birth to death. There are no statistics that can measure that the digital environment is a predominant factor in the duration of the couples. The same does not happen with distance, which often helps couples last less… or longer.
We will continue to communicate…
