Although Plenty of Fish might be a household name to most singletons online, it’s a relatively new invention first opening in 2003. Before this people did meet online but via social media platforms such as MySpace and Hot or Not (which later became Facebook). So, what did people who wanted to date in the 1990s do?

Dating Back in the Day

Although there were some alternative ways to meet a new romantic interest (phone chat lines or lonely hearts ads for example), in the 1990s most people had to meet new people in real life. The concept of dating was really different then because mobile phones weren’t around to allow instant communication.

For example, if you liked a person and wanted to chat with them you would have to call their landline – which for teenagers and young people was invariably located in the living room. This meant a lack of private conversation and certainly no way to swap pictures with someone you wanted to date. Instead, you would need to make plans to meet up with someone and then get to know them face to face. Better not be late though or change the plans last minute – without mobile phones you would have no way to tell them!

Online Dating in the 2020s

Modern-day dating is very different – people are much more open to the concept of online dating. In the past, people have told lies about where they met their significant other, for fear of being judged if they met somewhere like Badoo or Plenty of Fish. That isn’t the case now and there is no longer the same taboo. Social media has played a big part in this as people use the likes of Facebook and Twitter to meet people with similar interests and even find people to attend events with. This has opened up people’s perception of chatting to people online and making friends with people they have not yet met – which in turn has opened up online dating. You even have diverse options compared on www.prnewswire.com.

Instant communication is very much prevalent in today’s modern-day dating methods according to a recent study that looked at the world’s the most popular dating apps that are used for online dating. People being put off if the person they are interested in communicates not enough/too much. It also means that people can swap photos, chat as much as they like (without needing to be in their parent’s living room) and even video chat before they meet up with someone – which means that by the time they have decided to meet up with them, they feel like they already know them!

The Popularity of Online Dating

There is no denying that online dating becoming more socially acceptable has led to it becoming more popular. With Tinder being the most popular app; it has an estimated 50m users worldwide; which by anyone’s standards is a pretty large number of people making use of online dating! Dating apps have opened up long-distance dating, dating for those that work long hours and even those that suffer from anxiety; which is probably one of the best changes to have happened to the online dating world since the 1990s.