How Successful Are Online Dating Websites and Apps When Looking For a Long-Term Partner?
As with just about every other area of our lives, the online world is taking over and changing things forever. Now, some choose to go with the flow while others blindly fight against change, but in the end, that change is coming regardless.
Take dating, for instance. There was a time when you’d only meet someone at work or at a bar or maybe by happenstance at a grocery store (though we are pretty sure this has never happened and is little more than an urban legend or the construct of a lazy rom-com). This meant that finding a suitable match is wholly down to luck, and to be honest, the human race was okay with that for thousands of years, but the game has changed…for good.
In America, more than 50% of 18-29 year-olds have used dating sites or apps, and that number is growing. The demographics using these services have also dramatically altered, with more and more niche openings in the market that are specifically geared to age groups and types.
There are a lot more options out there than pick-up services like Tinder; for instance, Zoosk reviews point out the success of their service when it comes to those looking for longer-term relationships and is LGBT friendly in their approach. In other words, the field has broadened, meaning individuals can, in most cases, sign up and join services that work for their personal needs in mind.
What Are People Looking for?
Let’s be honest about things. A great many people sign up for dating apps and services looking for a fling, a one-night stand, something that isn’t permanent but is instead a chance to meet someone new and have fun, usually with no strings attached. Now, if that’s what you are after, then there are a myriad of choices that will help you find people who fit your tastes.
In many ways, this audience is the bread and butter of the industry, and technology has made such hook-ups simple and easy.
Finding Long-Term Partners Online
Clearly, if you are looking for something more substantial and longer-lasting, then some of these sites and apps won’t work for you. Indeed, you should probably avoid these in order to not find yourself in a situation you didn’t sign-up for. In other words, you might find someone who you really click with and have a great time, only to discover that they weren’t looking for something quite so serious.
Hook Up Apps and Dating Apps
At this point, it might be sensible to start thinking of apps as usually belonging to two types of categories. One is exclusively for short-term ‘hook-ups’ and the other for ‘dating,’ this meaning two people looking to experience a longer-term connection.
Most sites and apps can be easily split into these two camps, and in order to make sure the one you sign-up with is in the category that suits you, it’s best to do some online research to find out just where they stand.
Ways to Tell If a Dating Website Is More Geared to Longer-Term Partnerships and Relationships
The very set-up of an app or website should be something of a giveaway to work out what its primary audience is all about.
If it’s run on a paid subscription service, it’s likely to be a more serious approach, not least because the overall pool of people on board will be fewer. This way, at least when you are looking for a fish in a sea, that sea isn’t quite the size of an entire ocean.
Similarly, the profiles set up for each individual will be more substantial and give you a better idea of the type of person you might meet. The more detail that is offered, the more likely a match can be found.
If the services offer you a chance to mutually match, that’s also a good sign, as is the ability to discuss with each other before the meeting.
Some of the most famous sites which are known for being more geared to actual dating would include the likes of eHarmony, OkCupid, and Match.com, but there are dozens more that are also very adaptable to your needs, especially if you are looking for very specific matches.
Say, for instance, you are a lesbian, then you might want to use a site that is exclusively for those in your pool. The online dating game has become very wide, and as such, there are a nearly infinite number of options available to you.
How Successful Are Online Dating Services for Those Seeking Long-Term Love?
The truth is that it’s very hard to quantify the success in this department, but it would be fair to say that the chances of finding a long-term partner via an online dating service are improving every day and the main overriding reason for this is simply because the percentage of us who use these services is only getting higher.
So basically, what that means is that while the vast majority of activity that occurs within the online dating sphere is temporary and fleeting, as far as ways in which individuals can meet their soulmates and the loves of their lives via a website or mobile app, it’s still the most likely to bear fruit.
The fact is that old-fashioned ways of meeting a prospective long-term partner are now somewhat obsolete. The way we lead our lives has changed, and so have our dating habits.
Interestingly, statistics show that 17% of marriages start through online dating. That may not sound like a huge number, but clearly, it’s a number that didn’t really exist a decade or two ago.
Another stat, which is actually quite telling, is that those who meet online get married much quicker; one imagines that’s because both parties are well aware of their intentions long before they get started, which is refreshing in some ways—also marriages of those who meet online last longer.
So, if you are looking to find a long-term partner while scrolling through dating profiles, keep at it; you are far more likely to find love using this route than pretty much any other single motivating factor. So get clicking!
