Dating

Dating is the activity of pursuing romantic partners. Beyond that, however, dating can have various goals. Some people date to meet a serious partner, maybe a spouse. Other people date casually, hoping to meet a range of people. If not these, they may want to find sexual partners or "hook-ups." Since 2013, more straight couples meet online than any other way — like through friends or work. LGBTQ couples were early adopters of online dating, as it was usually more difficult to find a queer match in one's neighborhood. Today, dating apps are the dominant way people date. Popular dating apps include Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, and OkCupid. Tinder is known as a "hook-up app" as users don't need to share much information about themselves, whereas OkCupid requires users to answer questions. Offline dating unsurprisingly took a decline during the COVID pandemic, so people had to rely on apps. Now that they can date in-person again, there are more options for meeting new potential dates.

screenshots of tinder prompts to verify profile with ID and/or photo
Dexter (Leo Woodall) and Emma (Ambika Mod) are both lying on grass in a park, both laughing.
An illustration showing a woman holding a phone that's displaying an online dating profile. The man in the photo is a bulky, square jawed white man. However, the man is revealed to be a catfish in a blue shirt

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