That was the case for Marilyn Espitia, a 31-yearold freelance photo editor and photographer in California who first ventured into online dating in college, when she met her former partner and now father of her child on OkCupid.
Today she is single, and has been for about three years. While she’s still a “hopeless romantic” who plans to keep using these platforms — primarily Hinge — Espitia says she’ll get off an app or pause her profile when it becomes a little too much.
“It starts getting overwhelming,” Espitia said.
Licensed clinical psychologist Yasmine Saad says that about 3 out of every 4 people she works with use dating apps, and anywhere between 80 to 90% have expressed feeling similar fatigue or burnout as Espitia at some point.
That’s due in part because success is never promised with online dating, regardless of whether you’re looking for a lifelong partner or casual fling.
“It’s a very difficult process for people because you invest a lot, then you receive little,” said Saad, founder and CEO of Madison Park Psychological Services in New York. “It triggers a lot of hopelessness and a lot of self-esteem issues.”
Kathryn Coduto, an assistant professor of media science at Boston University who has been studying online dating since 2016, says dating app burnout is probably as old as the apps themselves, noting that people had experienced fatigue with earlier desktopdominant platforms like eHarmony or Match. com as well.
But these days, burnout may be intensified by the fact there’s an app for just about every part of our daily lives, and that constant connectivity can be too much. Pandemic-era “Zoom fatigue” has spilled over into other areas of tech consumption, Coduto said, and online dating isn’t immune.
That doesn’t mean dating apps are going away anytime soon. Research shows usage has remained relatively stable over recent years.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
NEW JERSEY OFFSHORE WIND FARM CLEARS BIG FEDERAL HURDLE AMID ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
The federal government gave a key approval this week to an offshore wind farm in New Jersey, even as residents in the town where its power cable would come ashore worry it could go through underground toxic waste that’s still being cleaned up.
AUSTRALIA'S ONLINE DATING INDUSTRY ADOPTS CODE OF CONDUCT TO KEEP USERS SAFER
A code of conduct will be enforced on the online dating industry to better protect Australian users after research found that three-in-four people suffer some form of sexual violence through the platforms, Australia’s government said this week.
PARENTS WILL HAVE TO SET ASIDE SOME EARNINGS FOR CHILD INFLUENCERS UNDER NEW CALIFORNIA LAWS
Parents in California who profit from social media posts featuring their children will be required to set aside some earnings for their minor influencers under a pair of measures signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
WARREN BUFFETT BUYS REST OF BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY'S UTILITIES.BUT INVESTORS MUST GUESS AT THE PRICE
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is buying the rest of its utility unit from the estate of a longtime board member who died three years ago, but it’s not clear exactly how much it will pay for that 8% stake in the massive utility business.
SPACEX LAUNCHES RESCUE MISSION FOR 2 NASA ASTRONAUTS WHO ARE STUCK IN SPACE UNTIL NEXT YEAR
SpaceX launched a rescue mission for the two stuck astronauts at the International Space Station, sending up a downsized crew to bring them home but not until next year.
TESLA POSTS FIRST QUARTERLY INCREASE IN DELIVERIES, BUT SHARES SLUMP WITH INVESTORS HOPING FOR MORE
Low interest financing, sweet lease deals, price cuts and free charging boosted Tesla’s global deliveries in the third quarter, the first increase this year for the electric vehicle maker.
ARKANSAS SUES YOUTUBE OVER CLAIMS THAT THE SITE IS FUELING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS
Arkansas sued YouTube and parent company Alphabet this week, saying the video-sharing platform is made deliberately addictive and fueling a mental health crisis among youth in the state.
EPIC GAMES SUES GOOGLE AND SAMSUNG OVER PHONE SETTINGS, ACCUSING THEM OF VIOLATING ANTITRUST LAWS
Video game maker Epic Games sued Google and Samsung this week, accusing the tech companies of coordinating to block third-party competition in application distribution on Samsung devices.
JAPANESE SPONSORS TOYOTA BRIDGESTONE AND PANASONIC END OLYMPIC CONTRACTS
The International Olympic Committee’s three major Japanese sponsors — Toyota, Panasonic and Bridgestone — are terminating their contracts.
SATELLITE SERVICE DIRECTV BUYS RIVAL DISH AS IT FIGHTS THE ONSLAUGHT OF STREAMING SERVICES
DirecTV is buying Dish and Sling, a deal it has sought to complete for years, as the company seeks to better compete against streaming services that have become dominant.