I’ve always been fascinated by the pride people take in never having downloaded a dating app or when people awkwardly try to explain why they are active on them. Ladies and gents, this is your life and if you’re looking to have a little capital-f-Fun, receive some attention, find a genuine relationship or if you’re just bored and curious... do you boo boo.

Like the curious creature that I am, I asked our instagram community why they have online dating profiles/apps. 100 people responded and honestly, the findings are morbidly comical. But first, let's understand WHY people have them in the first place.

Out of pure boredom

I get it. You keep hearing chatter about the latest dating app and how Bumble is better than Tinder, Hinge is better than Bumble, The League is all ‘sophisti-fck-you’ (I should TM that) or how you could possibly fall in lust with a famous person on Raya. ANYWAY, you keep hearing about how the men/women are more attractive on app X. Naturally, curiosity gets the best of you during your lunch break and you download whichever app mirrors your current emotional availability.

Validation

Ever been fresh out of a breakup and hopped on a dating app just to know you’ve still got it and people want it? Or maybe it’s been awhile since you’ve had someone flirt with you and you are looking for some flattery. Let’s be honest, we all love validation and dating apps are the perfect way to give us a self-esteem boost. Even if it’s from Chester, 29, has a man bun, lives in his camper van—stationed 100 miles away, is ‘overly competitive of just about everything’ and his social media platforms are flooded with pictures of him and his cat - in his camper van. Thank you for liking my pic, Chester. I’m flattered by your interest but this is going to be a no from me, dawg.

They are genuinely looking for a relationship

God bless their souls. I wish more than anything that people would walk around with ingredient-like labels plastered on their backs (or dating profiles) that tell us exactly what characteristics they have. Like so:

80% Likes to party
20% Ambition
40% Wit
5% Family Orientated
10% Empathy
90% Fck Boy/Girl
0% Emotional Intelligence
100% Chance will waste your time

Looking to have some Fun (capital F intended)

I said what I said. JK, ‘fun’ could also just be going with the flow with zero expectations.

The Findings:

Let’s compare in percentages:

11 votes for validation
22 votes for seeking a relationship
33 votes for boredom
34 votes for just having Fun

22/100 = 22% of the people on dating apps want a relationship which leaves 78% of the people on dating apps on there out of sheer boredom, validation or just for Fun - yikes.

Like I said, morbidly comical. The perfect way to attract what you are seeking and repel those who are not in alignment with you would be through transparency. Like I get it, you don’t want to come off as Desperate Debby or an Intense Ian, but vocalizing that you are looking for a relationship or a fling is okay… as long as you playfully word this. Which brings us to our next discussion…19 Tips for Online Dating ;).

Stephanie Daily