Bad Behavior
Every time you pick up your phone it’s a gamble. Ask your friends, I guarantee they have at least one dating app disaster story. Did you know that one third of online daters have never met anyone in real life that they matched with on the apps?
The screen gives users a sense of anonymity, which often leads to them acting out in ways they probably wouldn’t otherwise. There’s a certain level of anonymity to dating apps. Most of the time, you’re swiping, messaging, and meeting complete strangers. You likely don’t have common friends and run in very different circles.
This allows one to pull off a disappearing act quite easy. Over half of today’s daters claim to have first-hand experience with Ghosting, many going a step further to Zombieing.
Out of 1,000 people surveyed, 53% admitted to lying on their profile.
Going beyond typical bad behavior, there is a darker side to the internet.
Romance scams reached new heights in 2020. Scammers saw how many Americans were stuck in quarantine, and they acted. The Federal Trade Commission reported a record $304 million lost in romance scams throughout 2020. That’s up 50% from the previous year.
Scary Stories
“Women should be aware that they probably will receive rude/disgusting messages from horny guys, sexual propositions/requests, nude pics, and a lot of creepy vibes.” -Ryan Anderson, Ph.D
It’s not uncommon to receive messages on apps containing vulgar or abusive content. Explicit requests, violent threats, unsolicited nudes…it’s like the Wild West of sexual harassment out there. Please, be safe.
Emma agreed to pick up her date after he told her he wasn’t medically cleared to drive. When she arrived, she realized he was just drunk.
Mallory carries an EpiPen for her shellfish allergy. On her first date with a doctor, he tried to feed her shrimp off his plate. When she politely, but insistently refused, he declined a second date.
Alex’s date told her he just started a new job. When she asked him what he had been doing previously, he said just one word—prison.
Drew used a photo from his own wedding as his profile picture. He didn’t even crop his ex-wife out entirely.
The day before Sydney’s date, he texted to ask what kind of food she liked. She said, “I like everything, but seafood!” She thought it was weird that he took her to Red Lobster, until the bill came and he pulled out a gift card.
Estimates show at the rate things are going, by 2040 70% of couples will have met online. So, dating apps aren’t going away anytime soon. If anything, they will probably get more Black Mirror-y as artificial intelligence evolves. Do you have any dating app disaster stories?