Snagging a date for Friday night can be as easy as checking your phone.
A growing trend of smartphone applications are being used by 20- and 30-somethings to set up instant dates.
Users upload photos, interests and their locations. Some choose to text and chat online with others for a few weeks before meeting, while some meet each other right away.
Some apps, like OkCupid Locals, are part of larger dating websites, while others, like Blendr, are solely apps.
The creators of Blendr, which unites people with common interests, also launched Grindr, an app launched in 2009 and that's popular among gay men.
Unlike ordinary dating websites, Blendr and Grindr use location-based networks, allowing users to view the profiles of other app users who are nearby.
Initially offered only on the iPhone, Grindr is now also available on most Blackberry models. In November, the app surpassed 3 million users in 192 countries with 814,000 U.S. users, according to a Nov. 3 Grindr news release.
Jesse Scanlon, a digital media technology junior at Santa Fe College, has friends who use Grindr and said it is a better alternative to OkCupid Locals, the app he uses.
Scanlon said he has made friends and set up successful dates with the OkCupid app.
"Only a few years ago, people would make swift judgment or criticism toward the idea of digital dating," Scanlon said, "but today, it seems more than feasible, in my opinion."
Ilan Shrira, an assistant UF psychology professor, said college-aged students tend not to use dating websites because they have large social networks.
This growing trend of using social media to meet new people can erase previous stigmas toward dating sites for young people who say they don‘t need them.
"Young people in college are using a combination of both chatting online and meeting face-to-face," he said. "If anything, an app would help them."
Other ways young people meet online are through Facebook, Twitter and other networking sites, he said.
Freshman Alissa Giordani, 18, said she has not used dating websites or smartphone apps, but said she sees how other college-aged people may be interested.
"Apps seem to make the other person more real," she said. "You can text them on your phone instead of just talking to them online."
Using social media to meet new people is a growing trend among 20- and 30-somethings. Apps like OkCupid Locals and Blendr let young adults set up instant dates.
Using social media to meet new people is a growing trend among 20- and 30-somethings. Apps like OkCupid Locals and Blendr let young adults set up instant dates.
