Plenty of fish in the sea. Says the happy couple to the singleton. Yes, the digital sea is swarming with charming profiles of eligible bachelors. Easy on the eye with a witty little bio that reads, "I'm fun. Swipe right." But should we take the bait and go diving head first into a sea of photo albums, I mean people, for the sake of awkward hellos and confusion over who pays what?
Let's face it. Most of us are working throughout the week. That reduces the dating pool to a tiny puddle of colleagues, brother-like friends and some strangers you may or may not meet at a bar.
There's a myriad of nuisances; From embarrassingly being discovered by family members to hastily or curiously swiping past exes. And there's the minefield of fitting your best attributes into 140 characters. Photos need to be recent and genuine but you looked so good in that beach photo you took last year before sliding off the treadmill.
And does it stop there? No. What about the unsolicited body pics, the expats double-checking that you are Asian and the oh-not-so-charming, "what are you wearing " messages. Love. It's a tough one.
I've tried online dating. The first was pleasant... Even offered to take me to a spa for our second date. The second was a massive tattooed guy who was greying more than a 20-something should. Third time lucky? It was with a heart-broken boy, cautiously dipping his tiny achy toes into lukewarm waters.
Unfortunately, none made it to second date. It did make me realise that the happy couples never lied: there really are plenty of fish in the sea. Eligible or not is a different story. In a digital world with abundance of profiles and never ending one-liners, you have the choice of living behind the phone or getting in front of it to make a real connection beyond internet hook-ups.
The truth is, I don't know if online dating is worth the amount of times you drop your phone on your face. But if like 1000s of others, you find it difficult meeting people in everyday life, online dating could just be for you. Just remember to go beyond the carefully crafted caricatures to finding someone you truly feel an undeniable rush of adventure with, a person who shares your values (presumably having eloquently communicated that in your 140 character bio).
