Love, Made Easy?

A world away from yesteryears, the landscape of loveseeking has evolved with the times to become increasingly digitalised. As we continue to embrace technology in our search for meaningful relationships and connections with another human being, this question begs to be asked: how useful are modern dating apps and unconventional approaches in today’s world? We speak to three experts whose jobs have shaped the way we meet, date and choose our partners through the generations

- Sng Ler Jun

I have always fancied old school-type of dates. You know, the ones where boy meets girl by chance, boy invites girl to a fancy restaurant, and they spend the entire evening talking and staring into each other’s eyes. That scene belongs in an era long past, certainly one devoid of smartphone distractions... and that was probably how my parents dated.

The dating scene has changed tremendously over the years.

In the old days, seeking out a matchmaker, or more commonly referred to as a “mui yan” (in Cantonese), was the way to go for men and women of marrying age. Today, modern dating apps have all but taken over the task of helping (especially) the millennial generation to connect and meet new people. I’m sure we are all familiar with these new additions — “breadcrumbing”, “orbiting”, or “Netflix and Chill” — to the dating lexicon. But the latter is not without its disadvantages; I have come to realised that dating apps have been known to make people isolated and yearning for genuine real-life interactions. And not forgetting, threats of catfishing and scams.

Speaking to three experts, a representative from dating app Bumble, founder of a dating agency, and a Bazi analyst, I have come to realise that finding love is as simple as finding two souls with the right sparks, but the journey to get there might not be as easy, or simple, as swiping right might not be as on your phone.