[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In an age when we are increasingly dependent on various forms of technology, many people vehemently believe romantic relationships and friendships should be two aspects of life that have a basis in real-life experiences and in-person conversations rather than texts or Facebook message threads. However, it is virtually impossible nowadays to shirk technology in the pursuit of a new relationship — and that might not be a bad thing.

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The future of finding true love (or, let’s be honest — someone to watch Netflix with when plans flop on a Saturday night) is the mobile dating app. After Tinder’s wild success, more and more apps have cropped up, promising an easier way to connect with people. Although some argue that this techie form of dating takes the sincerity and genuine effort out of approaching people, it actually creates opportunities that might be otherwise lost to meet potential dates.

Tinder is not your only choice when browsing for mobile dating apps. Around 10 to 15 new dating apps launch each week in the $2 billion industry, although maybe only two will be successful enough to be relevant after a few months. Coffee Meets Bagel is another app that presents individuals with one match each day, which they can choose to pursue or ignore. This is a far cry from the daily bombardment of Tinder matches, and the creators think it offers a more intimate and earnest approach to a dating app where individuals are considered seriously instead of being lost in a sea of other men and women. The app boasts upward of 10,000 committed relationships between people who met on it.

Although most apps center around the typical chat feature, How About We is an app designed for people who would rather go out and do an activity than read through someone’s interests on a profile. Users simply finish the sentence “How about we…” with another user and the date is set. For those who are nervous about going on dates alone, Grouper makes it possible for two people interested in each other to nominate two or three friends to join them on the date. The app itself will pick the bar and a $15 charge covers one drink per friend.

From apps that connect people based on mutual friends to ones that use music preference as a way to relate, the possibilities for these dating apps are seemingly limitless. There is someone for everyone, and the fact that these apps work right from a smartphone makes dating spontaneous and exciting.

In addition, dating apps take all the guesswork out of modern-day relationships. If you’re someone who enjoys the anxiety of meeting someone and wondering whether or not they are interested, by all means continue your method of dating. But for everyone else, these various apps connect two people who are at least definitely physically attracted to one another and most likely have other things in common. You might not get a lifelong relationship out of your date, but it’s an easy way to meet someone on short notice and without fear or hesitation.

There is also less pressure when two people meet on an app instead of in person or through mutual friends. These individuals could be complete strangers to begin with, and if the date goes horribly wrong, no one needs to linger on it or explain what happened. You can go right back to swiping and searching for your new date — if you’re not physically or emotionally scarred from the first one.

For those people who are against dating apps and prefer the old-fashioned method of meeting potential suitors, I am sure somewhere in Midwestern America there is a man or woman stuck in a very colonial mindset waiting to sweep you off your feet. But it might just be beneficial for others who are looking for a date (especially with the single population’s most uncomfortable weekend coming up) to download an app and look around. You might be surprised at the number of normal, friendly and interesting people looking for the same thing.

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