There are a lot of strange situations you can encounter on dating apps. It can be incredibly frustrating, but you have to take it as it comes.
If you want to meet someone who is interested in you, it’s going to take a little bit of work. You’ll have to show off your best side, but that’s all part of the game.
1. Someone with super-touched-up display pictures
As you might have noticed, dating apps can be a strange place. From serial daters who are prone to leaving a bad taste in your mouth to those with a propensity for multiple dates, there’s no shortage of odd characters lurking around.
One of the most baffling is someone who has super-touched-up display pictures that make you barely recognise them when you meet them in person! This can be a sign of a cheater or someone with a personality disorder.
2. Someone claiming to be a model
From restless Johnnys desperate to get touchy-feely’ within minutes of saying hello, to those on a rebound looking to get over their exes and those with a penchant for multiple dating, strange situations can crop up on dating apps.
The good news is that you’re more likely to encounter these types of weird people in person than on your dating app. That’s thanks to a shift in how people communicate online, says Orlando LeFebvre, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist who studies online dating.
Among those who use online dating, 35% report receiving an “explicit message or image they didn’t ask for” and 57% report receiving an “unsolicited, explicit sexting message,” according to a Pew Research Center study. Young women are especially vulnerable to such behaviors.
3. Someone claiming to be a musician
The world of dating apps is a strange place. Scammers thrive on this chaos. They know musicians are hungry for attention and a break, so they play on this desperation and swindle people out of their money.
They can send you direct messages or emails claiming to be industry professionals, who want to get your music featured on Spotify or charted on ReverbNation for big payoffs.
This can be tricky to spot, and you need to ask yourself if they have any relevant contacts. Some of these scammers may also ask for upfront cash to secure a performance slot, which is not legit.
If you’re in the market for love, chances are you’ve used a dating app at one point or another. But while these apps are a convenient way to meet new people, they can also be a headache, if you don’t know what you’re doing.
A recent Pew Research Center study found that more than three in 10 adults have encountered a bizarre situation on a dating app, and that number jumps to 48% among 18-to 34-year-olds. And while a number of these incidents can be attributed to technology — such as an unwanted nude photo or a creepy message — they can also be the result of poor social skills and/or a lack of understanding of what’s possible on these digitized versions of bars and clubs.
If you’ve ever spent any time on a dating app, you’ll know that it’s no secret that the internet is a playground for all sorts of strange situations. From super-touched-up display pictures to fake profiles and blatant copycats, it can be downright frustrating.
As well as that, many dating apps focus on finding meaningful connections rather than superficial ones, which can make it all the more difficult to find a compatible match. S’more, for example, only shows a blurred version of a potential match’s profile picture until you’ve started messaging them – a move that’s designed to stop people being superficial on the site.