There’s a New Use for Dating Apps – Marriages
There is a new trend in the dating apps of India – people looking for a life partner. Not dating, marriage, but on a dating app, not on a matrimony app. Confused? Let me explain.
Dating Apps are Common Now
More than 50% of Indians between the ages of 20-34 have tried a dating app at least once in their life (based on our survey of 200+ people). Dating has slowly and steadily become more and more accepted in our society. Gone are the days when there was a massive stigma around dating apps. There’s still a stigma around them, don’t get me wrong, but it is far lower today.
To give you an example of this, a contestant on KBC’s 2022 season brought his girlfriend as his companion. He met her through a dating app and was explaining to Amitabh Bachan ji how dating apps work on national TV. Yes, the stigma is not as big anymore.
Okay, dating apps are common now – got it. But using them for matrimony?
The Evolution of Matrimony Apps in India
When matrimony apps were launched more than two 2 decades ago, there were no dating apps in the Indian market. Most of the prospective grooms and brides hadn’t experienced dating before they sat in family meetings for rishte. Having a friend of the opposite gender was as good as having a serious relationship. Hand-holding in public back then was a bigger deal than kissing in public in Mumbai today.
Shifting to online matrimony along with other factors at play – the influence of increasing globalisation on Indian society, improvement in education and job opportunities for women enhancing their voice and giving them the option to interact more with their male counterparts, and so on – changed a lot of things. Options for prospective bride and groom increased and “ladka ladki aapas me baat kar len” actually started to have some meaning rather than a 5-minute formality.
Today, parents can’t force their kids to marry the person of their choice (Yes Sharma ji, this is the new reality). And, if 2 people have decided that they want to marry, parents would have to accept it sooner or later (We don’t have the statistics on this but we hope this is true in most cases).
Love marriages are overtaking arranged marriages rapidly. As per a survey by Outlook India, 56% of the marriages in India in 2023 were love marriages compared to 32% just 3 years before that.
The Problem for GenZ
Things with GenZ are different though. Dating is common and so are dating apps. And this is where things get interesting – shifting from dating apps to matrimony apps. It sucks!
From witty prompts and Instagram pics which reveal a person’s personality, without any caste, Kundli or income, with open conversations about anything and everything so that you get to know someone… you get introduced to Sharma Ji ka ladka who is “fair, down to earth, well-natured, outgoing…” with his entire family’s biodata, his profile which is essentially his resume.
And don’t worry about the fun convos, they get switched with awkward conversations between both sets of parents and if you’re lucky, the convo with him might be as fun as a job interview.
Finding a Life Partner on Dating Apps
Existing matrimony apps have been trying to copy dating apps but can’t seem to serve GenZ the way they want to be served. So, they have now started to explore the option of using dating apps for marriage. However, this has its challenges as well.
a. Casual Culture
Dating apps are not built for marriages, at least not the way they happen in India. People in the Western world don’t rush to find a marriage partner immediately after their parents think they are of the right age to get married. So, people on dating apps are looking to just date, which is what they’re meant for.
b. Trust Issues
The profiles in matrimony apps tend to have the complete biodata of a person and his/her family whereas dating app profiles can be as slim as having just 1 pic (which could also be fake). Plus, there is no government ID verification of users or verification of education or job details. As a result, catfishing, honey-trapping and other such malicious activities are common on these apps (with good chances of running into Angel Priya).
The Solution?
What if an app could provide the best of both worlds? Getting to know someone first like in dating but also providing trustworthy and serious people?
The author of this post thought about this issue and came up with a solution – Dor: All Strings Attached.
Wanna know more about it? Click here to read about Dor and fill out this form to get updated as soon as we launch.
Disclaimer: All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. AR Networking & Co (“Dor”) makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information in this blog. Dor will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. These terms and conditions of use are subject to change at any time and without notice. Dor provides a platform for online dating and matrimony services. The information in this blog has been provided for your private use and does not constitute professional advice. Neither Dor nor any information provided by Dor is a substitute for advice from a qualified professional.
