In this day and age, especially with the pandemic looming over our heads, it is extremely difficult to find potential partners in person. Everyone is too busy to physically go out and meet new people.

Thus, the younger and older generations have resorted to online dating apps and websites. The popular dating apps circulating amongst the masses today include Tinder, Bumble, Match.com, Grindr and eHarmony.

Online dating has fundamentally altered the process of finding and matching with potential partners. This forum allows its users to communicate with other users who might live across the state from them or even in a different country. Without online dating, it would have been unlikely for them to meet at all, according to research.

Furthermore, online dating filters out poor potential partners from the dating pool, reducing the likelihood of incompatibility. It also allows potential partners to communicate beforehand, fostering greater attraction and connection upon the first meeting.

Before writing this column, I was extremely hesitant about online dating because of the inevitable cons that come along with it, such as catfishing and struggling to gauge someone’s true intentions.

I also did not find online dating to be completely authentic because the pool of potential partners is filtered through a mathematical algorithm. But after listening to other people’s experience with online dating, I do have a slightly different perspective.

WSU alumni Brian Fiorito said he was was also hesitant about trying online dating because he was a divorcee in his mid-to-late-40s. Nonetheless, he ended up making a profile and eventually matched with his future wife.

Fiorito said he and his wife started messaging back and forward, establishing a meaningful connection with each other through inside jokes and similar event happening in their lives. After about two weeks of dialogue, they finally decided to go out on a date.

“I was really excited to go out with her where I wasn’t feeling that way with anybody else that I had met,” Fiorito said. “I could tell that we connected and got each other in the weeks leading up.”

A couple of weeks following the first date, Fiorito and his wife agreed to shut down all their online dating profiles and not date anyone else to focus on what they had between them. Long story short, they got married and lived happily together.

“If I had a friend who went through a divorce and is single now, trying to figure their way out, I would totally recommend online dating,” Fiorito said. “It is a great opportunity to meet people, see what they are about, and feel your way through it.”

Marianna Mendoza, WSU sophomore biology major, recounted a similar experience with her family members meeting each other through online dating.

Mendoza’s aunt, who lived in Washington state, matched with her uncle, who lived in Washington, D.C., on an online dating app. They talked online for about one year until her aunt finally flew to D.C. to meet him in person. They subsequently dated for two years following the initial meeting and got married. They have been going strong for three years now.

“Although I personally am hesitant and find online dating to be a little sketchy,” Mendoza said, “I am glad that my aunt and uncle had a pretty great success story.”

Despite various online dating success stories within the older generations, the younger generations seem to look down upon online dating.

As previous stated, Mendoza and I are very hesitant about online dating. She believes that many people catfish and lie about themselves on dating apps. And I am worried about the initial meeting going bad and something horrible happening to me.

Nico Browne, WSU sophomore international business major, believes online dating is stupid because the conversations are often dry, and it requires too much work for rarely successful results. But he does acknowledge some benefits to online dating.

“It is cool that you can meet people from the comfort of your home,” Browne said. “And you have the option of picking the type of relationship you want based on what app you use.”

But Browne still does not believe online dating is worth it, and he would not recommend it to other people.

While the internet is quite popular among the younger generations, with social media and all, online dating does not appeal to them as much as it does with the older generations.

A possible reason is the younger generation’s desire to sleep around and not settle down in their youth. In contrast, many older users are looking for something long-lasting.

Of course, though, it is difficult to draw conclusions on a population based on a few short interviews; therefore, I recommend looking at empirical research regarding the topic.

To end this column with love, I give a round of heartfelt congratulations to those of you who have found your significant other through online dating. After listening to the success stories of others, I may decide to try online dating in the future. Maybe you will too.