**Online dating has changed the ways in which we interact with each other for the foreseeable future** - Online dating may have changed the pace at which relationships progress. Because of the online nature of dating, there isn’t a defined period of time where friendship exists (unless you are already friends), and as a result may progress quicker than an in person relationship. - The pandemic has even changed the way in which we date. This [article](https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201116-how-the-pandemic-has-changed-our-romantic-relationships) addresses that there is a fear of dating during the pandemic and that fear brings a lot of uncertainty for people looking for relationships during this period. - Dating online means that we are more subject to scrutiny. This [page](https://this.deakin.edu.au/self-improvement/has-online-dating-changed-the-nature-of-human-relationships) reinforces the idea that there is increased pressure to please people we have never met. Photos are double-checked and filtered, spelling errors are highlighted and we can make snap judgements on people based on their music and film taste without ever having met them in person.

**I don't know if online dating has fundamentally changed the nature of relationships. It has at least been part of a shift in how we initially meet potential partners.** - Online dating was [kind of inevitable] (https://futurism.com/heres-how-online-dating-has-transformed-the-fabric-of-society-itself) with the normalisation of technology in our everyday lives alongside changing ideas of marriage and partnership. However - when dating apps started becoming popular, people thought that they would reinvent the dating scene, turn it into ["a minimal-effort, transactional pursuit of on-demand hookups, like an Uber for sex."] (https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/12/tinder-changed-dating/578698/) But the reality isn't like that. People are still generally looking either for a longer-term partnership or shorter-term sexual satisfaction. And online dating [might actually provide more longevity] (https://www.theknot.com/content/dating-apps-marriage) in relationships than traditional ways of meeting a partner. - The process by which we date has definitely changed shape and adapted to our current internet-heavy culture. Maybe one of the main features of this is that we can now meet people who live further away from us, and generally have access to a wider range of potential mates. - We might be more picky or critical in picking who to match with on the online interface, but [some experts suggest] (https://this.deakin.edu.au/self-improvement/has-online-dating-changed-the-nature-of-human-relationships) that once we meet someone in person, the traditional aspects of dating kick in. It may take longer to sift through potential matches to find a worthy connection, but once we have found it, the 'getting to know each other' process is probably not that far removed from the pre-app scene.