In our Love App-tually series , Mashable shines a light into the foggy world of online dating. After all, it's still cuffing season . The swipe is about as casual a gesture as it gets. On Tinder, Bumble and every copycat dating app, choices are made in the blink of an eye.
Over the past several years, the popularity of online dating has skyrocketed compared to where it originally started. In fact, dating apps and websites have given single people a convenient new way to connect with people. But, with this ease of use comes some new issues, particularly in the form of safety.
In some ways online dating is a different ballgame from meeting someone in real life - and in some ways it's not. (Reis points out that "online dating" is actually somewhat of a misnomer. We use the term to mean "online meeting," whether it's through a dating website or a dating app.)
Maslow's hierarchy of needs and conventional wisdom both suggest that love is a fundamental human need. Most people meet their significant others through their social circles or work/school functions. However, these pools can be relatively shallow. In the search for a potential date, more and more people are switching to less traditional methods.