There’s no denying the impact social media has had on our dating lives. From Tinder to Bumble, there are now more ways than ever to meet potential partners online. An entire industry is built around helping you find your digital love match, with services like eHarmony, Match, and Plenty of Fish all hoping to help you find lasting love with a perfect stranger.
But as much as we try to squeeze ourselves into the narrow boxes provided by these apps and sites, dating isn’t quite so simple as ticking a few boxes and waiting for Mr or Mrs Right to appear.
Now even Facebook knows that meeting potential partners online isn’t enough – users want to feel like they have more control over their own dating journey. That’s why they recently announced a new dating service within their app called “MEND” (or Mutual Exclusive Network Discover) which will give users access to people who are ready for a relationship instead of just casual users looking for hookups.
It’s not just about meeting potential partners but also creating an environment where people can express themselves in a way that makes them feel comfortable enough to date someone.
Of all the social media sites, you’d think that Facebook would be the last place to find your next date. However, it’s now one of the best places to find a new partner. You see, Facebook launched its dating service back in January this year which is essentially an upgraded version of their previous ‘dating app’.
With so many users signing up and getting involved within such a short space of time, it’s fair to say that Facebook Dating has proven itself as a game changer when it comes to digital dating apps.
If you’re ready to take things up a notch by meeting someone who tickles your fancy, read on for why Facebook Dating is making us daters more than happy.
Facebook is a place for connection
If you’re familiar with dating apps in general, you’ll know that most of the time, you’re only connecting with people based on very limited information – photos and a couple of lines of text, that’s it.
There’s no getting to know one another; it’s simply a ‘like’ or a ‘nope’. You may also have come across people who are only looking for hookups, or who are looking to ‘go on a date’ but don’t want to actually meet up.
You almost can’t avoid these kinds of people on dating apps. Facebook is different. It’s a place for people to connect and share information about themselves, their likes and dislikes, and everything else in between. You’re connecting with people based on what they share about themselves, not based on a couple of photos or a tag line.
It’s free (at least for now)
As far as we’re aware, Facebook Dating is still free to use. There are no hidden costs, subscriptions, or anything of that nature. This is a huge advantage when you compare it to other dating apps, particularly those where the majority of users are located in more ‘exotic’ locations where they can charge a premium fee to use the app.
What’s more, Facebook Dating is accessible to almost everyone – provided they live in a part of the world where the feature is currently being offered. You don’t need to own an expensive or brand new phone to use Facebook Dating, and you don’t need to be a certain age either. You just need to be over the age of 18, have a Facebook account, and be willing to give the feature a try!
Facebook Dating is super easy to use
Once you’ve opened up Facebook Dating and created your profile, you can start browsing other users’ profiles and see who takes your fancy. If you see someone you’re interested in, you simply need to ‘swipe right’. If they also swipe right on you, you’ll receive a notification letting you know that they’re interested in getting to know you better. If you’re not so keen on someone, you can ‘swipe left’.
If someone swipes right on you but you don’t swipe right back, they’ll get a notification letting them know that you’re not interested in them. Simple! There are also some other ways that you can find potential matches on Facebook Dating, such as using the ‘Nearby’ feature.
Nearby is a location-based feature that shows you people who are in your area and who you might want to get in touch with. If you’re looking for love, but don’t want to travel too far, this feature is for you.
You actually see who you’re talking to
There’s no hiding behind a profile picture when you’re using Facebook Dating. Every single user is required to use a profile picture that accurately portrays who they are. You can also view their full name, the schools they’ve attended, where they work, etc. In addition to this, you can also see if they have any mutual friends on Facebook.
This is a huge advantage when it comes to finding out whether someone is who they say they are. It’s much harder to lie about your interests and history when you’re using a picture to represent yourself! When you start chatting with someone new on Facebook Dating, you can see a full-length photo of them.
This means that you don’t have to worry about meeting up with someone and ‘wasting your time’ because they don’t look like their profile picture. It also means that you don’t have to worry about being stood up because someone changed their mind about meeting you.
It’s now easier than ever to find your next date
If you’re like many daters out there, you might’ve found it difficult to actually go on dates with people. You may have come across someone who you were keen on but they weren’t keen on you.
At this point, you may have ended up feeling frustrated and disappointed because you know that you both would have had a great time had the other person agreed to go on a date with you.
On Facebook Dating, you can get around this issue by sending an ‘innocent’ message to the person you’re interested in. This lets them know that you’re interested in going out on a date with them, but that you don’t want to come across as pushy or too forward.
It’s a great middle ground because it allows you to express your interest, but also gives the other person some room to say no if they don’t feel the same way.
More options means more chances of finding Mr. or Ms. Right
Because there are so many people using Facebook Dating, you have a much better chance of finding someone who you really click with. There are so many people to choose from, and so many ways to find them. You can use Nearby, you can use a feature that lets you search by hobbies, interests, profession, etc.
Essentially, you have more options than ever to find your new partner, which means that you have more chances of finding ‘the one’. You can also find more people to date than you might with other apps.
Because Facebook Dating is a feature that’s accessed through Facebook – meaning that most people in your age group are likely to have an account – you have access to a much larger number of potential dates than you would on other apps.
Facebook knows you better than anyone
If you’re worried about your dating history being visible to other people, you don’t need to be. On Facebook Dating, you can hide certain parts of your dating history from other users. This means that people won’t be able to see who you’ve been on dates with or been talking to in the past.
They won’t know about your dating history unless you decide to tell them. On top of this, you can set up a ‘safe dating profile’ with Facebook Dating. This lets you share information about yourself and your personality without revealing your identity. For example, you can let people know that you’re adventurous, but without revealing that you like skydiving.
Be upfront about your intentions
Remember that people can see your dating history. This means that if you’ve been on Tinder in the past, or you’ve used other dating apps, they may be able to tell. If you’re looking for a serious relationship, this might not be ideal.
However, if you’re open and honest about your intentions from the start, people will know where you’re coming from. You can also set up a ‘safe dating profile’ so that people know upfront that you’re not looking for anything serious. In conclusion, Facebook Dating is a game changer when it comes to digital dating apps. It’s free to use and accessible to everyone.
Most importantly, it’s about connecting with people based on who they are as people rather than just based on a couple of photos.