Modern dating: Speed dating, dating apps aid in quest for love, but also present drawbacks

SHAH ALAM - Nowadays, people often turn to dating applications and speed dating events to find love and potentially settle down.

These platforms offered opportunities to meet new people and explore potential connections without the commitment of traditional dating methods.

Syasya Foaad, 25, an events emcee said she was familiar with dating applications like Bumble, where she explored her romantic interests.

She said while dating applications and speed dating events have their benefits in the search for love, there were also drawbacks to consider.

Syasya who is an event emsee said although she preferred meeting people in person on a date, she was not in favour of the speed dating process as people would be switching partners often during the event.

This, she said was because she had failed in four relationships from speed dating.

Some factors contributing to this trend included the pressure to conform to the social media trend of being part of a couple and feeling envious of celebrity relationships, which were seen as unrealistic portrayals of real life, she added.

"It is quite hard to find sincere love, specifically on social media and dating apps, especially today where everything is almost digital.

"Sometimes, the old-school style does not sound so bad after all, because it does not matter when one gets married, only the people that are committing in the relationship counts, not the culture.

"From what I have seen in speed dating, it's literally like what the term suggests: you would be given a short amount of time, say five to ten minutes, to briefly introduce yourselves to each other and to see the impression that the other person is giving you.

"Basically, it's like a typical ice-breaking session you do during events, but the goal is to, of course, to find someone who you find interesting and wants to know better," she said.

Syasya who was not in a relationship at the moment said she did not condone digital dating, but cautioned about the possibilities of being catfished online.

"There are numerous possibilities of you being catfished, or even worse, getting scammed, because you talk to them online.

"Now, people are using the advancement of artificial intelligence to fake their identities and thanks to my experience, I get to distinguish between a real person and a fake person after just a few conversations," she added.

She said she preferred traditional dating as she would get to meet her date in person without worrying about being scammed.

"At least we get to actually see the person and manage our expectations. Five minutes of speed dating can seem short, but it is more than enough to know at least what each other has to offer," Syasya said.

Viewing that arranged marriages were no longer relevant at this age, she said some people refrained from marriage at an early age, as opposed to earlier cultures, due to financial constraints.

She said career could often be the reason that stood in the way of someone's choice to get married early.

"They want to prioritise their personal career goals first," Syasya said.

She said dating should only come with the intention to settle down, no matter if it was too early or too late.

Talking about the rising number of divorces lately, she pointed out that this trend might be why many people were hesitant to commit to settling down.

"It is important for people to take their time with dating because it is a big deal and it is a life commitment that most people are scared of.

"Dating should give you an idea of what life might be like with your chosen partner.

"We are no longer at an age for "arranged marriages" and with the abundance of divorce cases lately, it shows how important it is to really date someone early enough to mitigate the risk of ending up a divorcee.

"But then we cannot deny that even those with years-long relationships end up separated or divorced," she said.