If there’s one thing the pandemic taught us, it’s trying out new things. Be it scouring Reddit threads to learn about cryptocurrency overnight, making our bedroom-turned-office into an Instagrammable corner, or even signing up on a dating app. But as you go towards the sign-up button, does a little voice in your head go, “Is this even real?”. Dating apps have changed the way daters look for love, but they’re still remain a large number of people who aren’t too sure if scrolling through profiles will find them their kind of love. Here are the top 8 myths that still exist around dating apps (it’s 2021, c’mon!) and bust them with facts and actual logic.
‘I’m too old for dating apps’
Who said that there’s an age limit to love? And there certainly is no ‘maximum’ age to be on a dating app. Although most daters are within the ages of 25-34, dating apps have their fair share of ‘older’ people too. In fact, Kiran met her life partner on OkCupid in her 50’s! Be inspired by zest for life and get on that app. Remember, age is just a number.

No money, no honey While they say that money can buy you happiness, it most definitely can’t buy love. Meeting new people or forming connections on dating apps built around compatibility doesn’t necessarily require you to shell out money. Serious dating apps require daters to answer questions about themselves and what matters to them to help them get a quality match on the basis of shared interests and likes, without any money. Also, most of the dating apps have freemium services where daters can pay if they wish to, but don’t necessarily have to do so.

Only the prettiest are the most popular
While ‘Princess Diaries’ can be considered a cult movie (for 90s teens) where you have to be “pretty“ or attractive to find the one you are looking for, dating apps that put the spotlight on your personality, beliefs and quirks don’t subscribe to that. It’s about you and who you want, so let your bio do the talking! Write about your interests, likes, dislikes or even your dance playlist and let the algorithm (and the universe, if you believe in it) work its magic.

No ‘forever’, only ‘morning after’
Yea, we’ve all heard from somewhere about those stories about ‘morning after’ from friends of friends of friends. While to each their own, for those looking for their ‘forever’ there do exist serious dating apps that will help you find ‘the one’ by letting you take control of the kind of relationship you want. Be honest while answering questions about yourself and list down all the quirks, beliefs, and values you have, so that you can meet your kind. It might seem impossible to have a first date that goes on for hours and hours into the night because you just can’t stop talking, but ask Joy and his partner, who went on a trip to Pushkar within 1 week of meeting, and have been inseparable ever since!

Dating apps are only for straight people
OkCupid prioritise equality and representation offeringover 60 identities, 22 gender options and 20 sexual orientations to choose from to allow members of the LGBTQ+ community the option to signal who they are, how they identify and what they want in a partner. If this is what is holding you back from finding your kind of love, you better go make your profile right now and get out there! We’ll admit, not all dating apps make this a priority.

Desperate times call for dating online
Guilty of (thinking about) signing up on a dating app after a bad breakup or when you feel lonely? (*Fluttering eyes and itching to say no but yes). Don’t worry it’s true for most of us. But contrary to popular belief, there are intentional daters out there too, who are looking for a real connection. More so, the pandemic and limited in-person social interaction have intensified the need to find a companion or a fulfilling human connection that one can come back to at the end of the day.. Dating millennials have been more inclined to log on to the internet to find a connection to the outside world and for the better!

Everyone is in a rush!
Life is not the train scene from DDLJ; you can take a breather, go slow and steady. Since the pandemic hit, daters have become less tolerant of pointless conversations, and are more focused on investing in the ones that show potential. Social distancing and COVID-19 precautions have only made slow dating more important; millennials now have a strong desire to form fulfilling emotional connections before physical one.

I’ll just end up alone
It’s natural to feel apprehensive when putting yourself out there but don’t let the fear of not meeting “the one“ hold you back. You may meet the love of your life on the very first match, or it may take a while of trial-and-error. Don’t give up without trying, you never know, love might just be around the corner!

In this cyber-world we live in today, dating apps are like digital cupids, but for Cupid’s arrow to strike you, you must get out there, or rather, get online! If any of these crazy myths are stopping you from finding your ‘happily-ever-after’ , it’s time to forget them and move on.