‘Appy’ to fall in Love
You don’t need to go to parties, join the gym or yoga classes anymore to find like-minded people
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-08-20 22:47 GMT
Chennai:Looking to meet someone special? Well, you don’t need to go to parties, join the gym or yoga classes anymore to find like-minded people. You can now find them on your phone! In today’s time, when work takes precedence over everything else, there is hardly anytime to socialise and meet someone new.
This is when dating apps come to the rescue. Mobile apps like Woo, Aisle and Krush are the newest ‘helpers’ on the block. Able Joseph started Aisle after his break up and because of the lack of new people on his social circle. Harsha BN, a 28-year-old entrepreneur has met a few people through Krush.
“The fact that the app only throws up profiles who have mutual friends is what works for me, because one that person’s validation is already done and two, ice-breaking isn’t cumbersome,” he says.
Harsha adds, that of the two people he met, one has become a close friend. Like Able, Rajat Rao, who created another dating app called, Krush, realised that it was time to settle down, but the matches that he was introduced to, weren’t, ‘his kind’.
“Urban singles are people, who have moved out of their homes, for their respective career. After living outside home for years, they evolve as people and are quite different in personality and taste. So how on earth can parents find a suitable match,” questions Able.
So how do these apps help? Sumesh Menon, CEO and co-founder of U2opia, a company that started, Woo, explains, “The profiles listed on the app are thoroughly checked before they are allowed to go live. Their profiles are cross-checked with other social networking sites. Based on lifestyle, education and work profile; similar matches are picked.”
Geevee, a radio presenter from the city, says that these apps are a natural transition from social media. “The dating apps are an extension of social networking sites, where people meet, go out and if it doesn’t work, they become friends or acquaintances. It is a double-edged sword; on one side it connects the like-minded but on the other hand, it is creating social frustration among people who are looking for constant gratification through social media. I am open to the apps,” he says.
However, there are still a few youngsters who prefer the traditional ways of meeting people. Rishita Sawlani, a city-based model, says she doesn’t really believe in dating apps. “I have never used it. I am quite old-school . I still believe in meeting people and then seeing if we are compatible. Online dating is quite common. The apps are just one step ahead ,” she concludes.