Finding a life partner has long been a subject of concern especially after hitting your late 20’s. If you were of South Asian origin, grandmothers played cupid and had a major role in hand picking your future partner.
Matchmaking in today’s world isn’ just limited to the Asian household, it has come to be a well-known phenomenon globally. In London, particularly, matchmaking has turned into this million-dollar industry where professionals in their 30’s spend thousands of pounds in a quest to find the perfect match.
68% of people in the UK admit to have used online dating sites, but what is the probability that a computer algorithm will be successful in finding you the right match? Data found in 2014, shows the success rate of the different dating sites.
The price of compatibility
Matchmaking is a costly affair, Lydia Davis at Mutual attraction says the services are designed for those who are serious about finding a partner.
There are different levels of membership that suit the needs of different individuals from various socio-economic classes, the most expensive is set to serve the elite.
Millennials who cannot afford to write a cheque to a matchmaker, use online dating apps that cost almost nothing to download, to find a suitable date. For instance, Tinder is a trending dating app that allows you to swipe through hundreds of profiles based on a picture and a profile.
Tinder statistics from the Global web index show, that 38% of the users are between the 16-24 age group and the most enthusiastic age ranges from 16-34.
Falling in love with a picture, of a person that may not even exist Is a problem in the digital age. It is extremely easy for a person to be deceived by an old image or one that has been extremely edited.
Success in online dating heavily relies on good looking photos and profiles. Sales consultant, Noor admits to attractive profiles being a necessity in the digital dating day, “When I first joined Tinder, I googled interesting Tinder profile ideas and uploaded my best pictures from facebook, I wanted to get as many matches as possible.”
Online daters find dating profiles notoriously misleading. A description can be exaggerated to reflect a vivacious personality and upon meeting people look and act nothing like their bios, Ashish Thanky, a consultant engineer, admits to being a victim of bad online etiquette.
Success rate
As for matchmaking, there is no sifting through a plethora of photos, no countless online chats or getting attracted to exaggerated profiles.
The bespoke approach of traditional matchmaking has worked for 72% of mutual attraction clients.
Lydia Davis, a professional matchmaker from mutual attraction, a matchmaking agency says “We help those that have been unsuccessful in finding somebody and match people based on compatibility, age, interests, professional status and lastly, looks.”
Speed dating culture
Only 13% of Tinder users reported relationships lasting beyond the one month mark in a dating study.
Noor says, “Online dating has pushed a superficial, materialistic, speed dating culture.”
Time is money
With matchmaking you have to be patient, chances are you will go on fewer dates but these dates would be set up tailored on compatibility. The probability of you encountering somebody who isn’t as serious as you is unlikely.
A recent poll conducted by Westminster World found that 52% of the users had confrontations with time wasters online.
No false hopes
Just a heads up for the amateurs, once you and your potential online match have swiped right you officially get a chance to initiate conversation. During the chat, there’s a fair chance of getting deleted, blocked or being avoided without any further explanation given, “I have completely lost faith in these dating sites,” Ashish explains.
It can be quite disheartening when you’ve had a good date only to find out that all communication has been ceased by your online match the next day. This phenomenon is commonly known as “ghosting” in the virtual world.
In matchmaking the chances of having your expectations shattered are very low, as your matchmaker gets feedback after every date, which is relayed back to you even if it’s not promising.
The verdict:
A problem faced by majority of the recent generations is that youngsters tend to find it hard to hold a conversation offline but are bold, confident and at ease online.
Finding a partner can be work at the end of the digital day but blending the skills required in the online dating scene with the traditional offline world might certainly be the key to finding a partner.
Here are some tips if you have not been successful in finding yourself a partner, Lydia’s top five dating tips might go a long way in helping you secure a date.
Hiring a matchmaker for a lump sum or simply swiping your way to love, either way the ball is in your court.
P.S – once you find ‘the one’, be sure to take your online relationship offline.