Beware of online dating addiction — it’s real!
In 2021, we do everything online: conduct meetings, shop for groceries, and even build relationships through the Internet. The majority of the world’s population is hooked on it, and there is little we can do to limit the amount of our engagement with the digital space. We created technology and became addicted to it. But do not get us wrong, a world without the Internet would have been a very dull place to live in.
We get endless opportunities and enjoy connectedness with one another. Having such a diversity of dating applications and websites makes it as easy as it has never been before to meet new people. Whenever you get lonely, you can always open up one of your favorite matchmaking apps and start browsing potential suitors’ profiles. Users swipe through their online dating matches, hoping to get a mutual connection or simply browsing who is on the dating market currently. Then a lot of users get so used to it that it becomes a part of their daily routine. And it becomes not simply about finding new friends, potential partners, or genuine love; online dating turns into entertainment.
Several studies are pointing out to online dating addition, which is taking over the population. It is no longer a danger for younger generations, who got hooked up on online dating; now, this dependency is penetrating within older generation circles, indicating a global trend. People all over the globe get internet dating site addition, which is not as harmful as drug or alcohol forms of fixation, yet, it can severely damage the social lives of adept matchmaking sites users.
How do we get so hooked up on dating apps and sites?
Our human brain is built in a way that we love being entertained, and we always crave more. When users log in to a dating app, they instantly get bombarded with endless options of potential suitors, with one looking better than the previous. It is very easy to begin a conversation with a stranger, knowing that everyone on the platform is following one aim — find a friend or a lover.
This effortless approach can be extremely helpful for some users. For instance, people who cannot meet in person because of their shyness can quickly make friends online and get to know a lot of people at once. However, the danger in building such digital relationships is that you are avoiding one problem but potentially creating another one for yourself. Even if you feel confident talking to your new buddy on a dating app, you’d still need to take this relationship into the physical world, and that is where you are faced with a new issue.
It is surprising, but a lot of users never actually meet their dating app matches and never transfer their communication into the real world. They simply exchange messages and never set up an actual date. As a result, we see a lot of digital romances, which never turn into genuine unions, and it is only one of the many reasons we need to be aware of dating site addiction.
Dating apps turn us into referees
On top of the above, having so many options to choose from is not only overwhelming for us but also can make us more judgmental towards potential suitors on dating solutions. When there are so many potential suitors to choose from, it gets simply impossible to choose one. Therefore, users swipe and swipe through profiles without making an effort to choose. That is how online dating addiction operates; we begin to search for the perfect candidate, and after seeing so many polished images of people, settling down with one option is not enough.
We quickly get put off by even the slightest flow we see — how they communicate, what kind of pictures they put up, and so on. The actual reason for not being satisfied is not because they are not suitable for us, but because we think there is plenty of fish in the sea, and there will be another appealing profile worth hitting on. Users start to judge their dating app matches hoping to find perfection one day; however, no matter how discouraging it might sound, no one is perfect, nor are we.
What happens when we get tired of seeing the ideal image
One of the most significant differences between meeting people in person and online dating is that we only see one side of a coin when browsing profiles online. People put up a pretty picture of themselves showcasing a beautiful lifestyle, then write a minimalistic bio caption with catchy words to attract more attention.
Nobody wants others to see their drawbacks or negative aspects; therefore, we get fooled by these fake images, thinking everyone online is perfect. Not to mention that a lot of users love applying photoshop and filters to their photographs, making them look almost unrecognizable. However, looking at these nice images of others makes us hooked on the idealistic appearance so much that when we decide to be done with our Internet search and try to meet someone in person, we get disappointed. There is no Photoshop in real lifeб and we are forced to deal with regular people.
Know when to take a break
Although becoming disappointed in real-life dating and becoming unsustainably peaky is a real danger of excessive Internet dating, it does not necessarily mean that you’d get hooked up on it after the first couple of dates with your potential suitors. Still, it would always be beneficial to get yourself familiarised with online dating addiction signs to understand when you need to take a break from the Internet love affairs. Here are a few of the most common symptoms of digital dating fever:
Are you looking for a partner or simply want attention?
Does your mood depend on whether you had a mutual match with that cool girl or guy? Do you take online rejections extremely hurtfully? If your answer to any of the above questions is «yes», then probably you need to distance yourself from dating apps for a while and take a short break by returning to the real world.
Dating apps can often affect your self-esteem and make you crave validation, which in the digital world takes the form of likes, follows and mutual matches. If you feel like you need to work on your confidence, or do not feel your best at this point in time, turning to dating services for self-validation would not help you resolve the issue. Instead, try to take some time to become a better version of yourself, and then return to the online dating game when you know your worth does not depend on others!
How much time a day do you spend on dating apps?
Do you ever hear from your friends that you spend too much time on dating solutions? Or, perhaps, you feel like the majority of your conversations are about potential suitors and matches from the Internet? Maybe the time has come to put your phone away and dedicate time to more meaningful activities.
We all enjoy social media and matchmaking, it is fun; however, if you notice a tendency for yourself to anxiously wait for a reply from your online companion and spend hours browsing new profiles to replace him or her if they take too long to respond, it is a clear sign of online dating addition. Set out some rules for yourself and limit how many times you log in dating apps to at least 2-3 times a day. It should help you get a clearer picture of your relationship with your addition.
Do you cancel plans with your friends to go on another date?
The moment you begin to prioritize your online dating life and put real life on hold — you are on a hook. It is important to always keep your digital affairs separate. Do not think of every single date as your future soulmate and other half. The healthiest approach is to carry on living your normal routine, hand out with friends and occasionally meet suitors from dating apps.
You never know when and how you are going to meet the love of your life; therefore, it is sensible not to place your ace on dating apps, but create a sustainable balance of online and offline. Once you are able to treat your digital relationship as a fun experience and a way to meet someone outside of your regular circle of friends, you should be on the online dating addiction recovery path! Having your life balanced should bring more happiness.