By: Katie Canter
Struggling to decide which dating application to use is one of the hardest parts of entering the online dating world.
Online dating can be overwhelming since each dating application and Web site offers slightly different features, there are many factors to consider. People either strictly use one form of online dating or use multiple simultaneously.
People use online dating for many purposes. Out of all the online dating users in the United States, 49 percent are using online dating applications and Web sites to find an exclusive romantic partner, 39 percent want to have something fun and interesting to do, and 29 percent use online dating Web sites and applications purely to see what the experience is like (Richter, 2019). There are many more reasons people choose online dating, but this provides insight that choosing which dating application to use is in correlation with what benefits the user is in search of.
In order to choose which application or Web site to use people either use friend recommendations, watch YouTube videos, or try whichever online dating formats have the highest rating. YouTube provides an extensive outlet for online dating users. Videos are published almost daily focusing on how to use specific dating applications and tips on how to choose the best dating application for you. YouTuber Renee Slansky provides three tips for choosing an online dating application (Slansky, 2018). Slansky is just one of many YouTuber’s online to publish informative videos in relation the online dating world.
In a Business Insider article, “How to figure out which dating app is the least annoying, the most convenient, and the best to help you find love,”, Shana Lebowitz and Jenny Cheng explicitly list the top 15 dating applications and what is unique about each one (Lebowitz & Cheng, 2018). This is helpful for people new to the online dating world because they can see which application has features that interest the user and which one will potentially bring the most benefit for a user in a specific demographic. Click here to view the Business Insider list of dating applications to see which one would work best.
Quizzes are another outlet for people to use in the search for the best online dating format. Click here for a quiz that can be used to help narrow down the search (Duncan, 2018). By taking quizzes online to decide which dating application to use, the online dating process becomes less daunting. The quiz takes the research out of the equation for the user and delivers a direct response on which dating application or website would be best.
Virtual Love 
This blog post does a great job highlighting the many different reasons someone might use an online dating Web site. The inclusion of a YouTube video and even a reference to a quiz is very helpful for a reader who wants to decide which dating Web site is best for him or her. It was a wise decision to make this the first blog post, because it is a great start to understanding what online dating is like and what steps must be taken to begin the process of online dating. The color scheme and visuals work well to support the overall theme of love.
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The quiz is interesting because someone new to online dating can answer the questions in minutes and have a head start in finding the one. Through browsing this blog post first, the reader can better understand why people lean towards online dating and evaluate if those needs pertain to the reader. By including the video, the reader can also hear another perspective on how the user should choose a dating site.
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It is interesting to see the amount of people who use online dating for purposes other than finding an exclusive romantic partner. What is not particularly surprising, however, are the statistics showing the amount of individuals who are using online dating for casual sex or to cheat on a significant other. There was a scandal a few years ago with the Ashely Madison online dating service (marketed to people who are married or in relationships), where there was a data breach involving thousands of names and information on users. It seems that nowadays, people find that online dating applications or websites are an easy way to go about seeking a casual “hookup” or infidelity.
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The data is surprising, especially after learning about online dating services such as Ashley Madison. Including that information would have been a great addition to this blog post. Online dating applications and Web sites cater to any user, with any purpose. The ease of finding the love of your life or a casual date is made possible through dating applications and Web sites.
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