Our phones are excellent devices for keeping us connected. They can also help us meet new people. Many now rely on apps to manage their love life, whether that’s looking for the one or arranging casual hookups.
Many companies have come up with solutions to the problems in our love lives, including launching matchmaking and dating apps. It feels like we have the whole world at our fingertips, although the reality can be overwhelming and time-consuming.
After swiping a lot with nothing to show for it, some people are experiencing burnout from dating apps. It’s time to look at whether dating apps still have their place and if there are other ways to use your phone to make new connections. Keep reading to explore the traditional apps and the alternatives.
JOYCE
JOYCE is available through the App Store and the Google Play Store. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s the app version of the sex-positive online forum JOYclub. Anyone who can create a safe and well-moderated space online for people to discuss their shared passions, thoughts and pleasures is doing important work.
Through the app or the website, you can seek interactions with like-minded people. Crucially, it doesn’t have to stay online, as there are events you can attend. Alternatively, you can arrange to meet up with a particular person on a date.
Since the aim is to express your desires as part of an online community, there’s less of a feeling of screening candidates to try to find a match. The result is a place where you can have fun in a consensual way without feeling any pressure.
Facebook Dating
We can make genuine connections through social media, but there can be some ambiguity around the other person’s intentions. Facebook has taken a more deliberate approach with the Facebook Dating section, which adds a matchmaking service to the social networking platform. You can create a dating profile, which you use to find other people who are also interested in dating.
The format resembles other dating apps. If two people like each other’s profiles, it’s a match, and you can start chatting. It’s private, so your Facebook friends can’t see your dating profile. It’s up to you whether you have suggestions of friends of friends for potential matches. If you turn it off, you won’t be matched with people who are connected to your friends on Facebook.
As we know, social media is all about our data. In this case, it’s being put to good use. The app uses your interests, including groups you’ve joined and events you’ve attended, to suggest potential matches.
Dating Docs
One reason people are fed up with dating apps is that it’s challenging to provide a clear snapshot of who you are and what you want. For those who are more focused on the details and less worried about swiping photos, there are dating docs, sometimes referred to as date-me docs.
It’s not an app, exactly, but more of an opportunity for several technological advantages to come together at once. The idea is to create a Google Doc, which acts as a sort of dating CV. The hope is to get more serious matches by providing more details. They can include information about the person, a description of their ideal partner and some date ideas.
People who create dating docs rely on other platforms to share them. It could be a personal website or social media. While the trend started with those in the tech industry, it’s a viable option for anyone with an online presence.
Join Communities You Care About
Instead of spending several hours on dating apps, you could focus your attention on something you already know you love to do. Find an app or platform for your hobbies. It could be a Discord server, Twitch, a writing platform or a knitting forum like Ravelry.
While JOYCE is an online community with a more direct approach, these communities let you enjoy your hobby with the potential added bonus of meeting someone. It does leave meeting someone new up to chance, but maybe you’re ok with gaining friends along the way anyway.
Since you’re doing what you love, you’ll get something worthwhile out of it, no matter what. Most importantly, you don’t have to spread yourself too thin. Stick to your communities instead of using dating apps, which can be incredibly time-consuming.
Traditional Dating Apps
Although studies show that using dating apps can lead to frustration, many users don’t feel that way. In fact, around a third of people are hopeful that they’ll find their match. As you’ll know by now, traditional dating apps aren’t your only options. However, if you want to go down that route, it’s best to pick one or two that match your style.
Bumble is a dating app that leaves the first move up to women. It’s aimed at creating meaningful connections. Others find that the profile format and algorithm used by Hinge lead to more matches with people with whom you have something in common.
While Tinder has gotten a reputation for being used as a hookup app, people do find love. Alternatively, many of the original dating websites, such as OkCupid and Plenty of Fish, now have mobile apps and dating events.
Picking the Best Platforms
The good news is that there are loads of options for meeting new people via your phone. Finding the one that meets your needs is your decision to make. If traditional dating apps aren’t for you, figure out what isn’t working. That information is now your guide to finding an alternative that meets your needs.
Facebook Dating is similar to other apps but might have greater insight into your interests, which results in better matches. If you want a more direct approach, a safe space to explore your sexuality, like JOYCE, could be the answer. If it’s a lack of detail that bothers you, try creating a date-me doc.
On the other hand, if it’s a matter of how and where you’re spending your time, opt for an indirect approach. Seek connections in your existing communities, but be prepared for friendships and see if romantic connections follow.
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