Affairs of the app
Apps to assist married people in finding partners online are now becoming alarmingly popular
By : namita gupta
Update: 2015-05-25 23:41 GMT
They are on a quest to discreetly seek a partner for a date. And no, these are not singles who’re seeking companionship, but more and more married people are logging onto dating sites. And to make things easier, now there are apps to assist married people seeking willing partners that will keep their details confidential. The Affair, a popular series in the West sparked off an app where married folk can look for some fun outside marriage.
The city is seeing a rise of this phenomenon, where marriage is for name only as many partners go looking for companionship or just some spice outside of their matrimonial bliss (sic). We explore this alarming trend that is on the rise in the Garden City.
Are applications like Tinder, Woo, Hinge, Thrill, DesiCrush, TwolyMadlyDeeply, Ok Cupid and others giving coy encouragement to married folk looking to find love outside of their marriage? Chaitanya Ramaling-egowda founder, Twoly-MadlyDeeply, explains, “All matrimony sites such as ours which let people get to know each other well before marriage has many married people posing as singles to find love.
They are people in troubled marriages looking for love, but they don’t know that it is illegal in India, until they have a formal divorce. Sometimes, they are people deliberately hiding their marital status to meet singles. We see a higher percentage of men masquerading like that, until they are discovered by our verification process. Sites promoting affairs with married people like AshleyMadison or SugarDaddy are very popular in the US and might soon get popular in India.”
In the midst of all the swinging and swapping, is the institution of marriage itself becoming a mockery? Apps or online social media makes these choices a lot easier feels, Dr Rathna Isaac, a clinical psychologist and private practitioner. “There is likelihood of extra marital affairs and dating with the availability and accessibility of such apps and sites, but since the trend has taken off only recently, we have to wait and watch for its long term impact. Is it going to make marriages better or worse, we don’t know yet, but these apps are increasing the choices for both the partners in the marriage,” she states.
Kiran Soans, (38) founder, Gold Rush entertainment feels, “It is important for married partners to be aware of their partner’s needs and that if their better halves needs love and are not getting it in the relationship, then he or she has the right to love another person if the marriage becomes defunct. Of course, cheating is not acceptable.”