Love in the age of online dating apps

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Online dating has become a normal part of human connection for many Americans looking for friends, companionship or love.

It’s been nearly thirty years since Match.com launched, and there are now countless websites and apps available.

Las Vegas locals Lileana, 39, and her husband, Fernando Roque, 40, met in 2017 on the dating app, Coffee Meets Bagel.

Lileans says her experience on dating apps was positive.

“Vegas is such a transient state so you get people from all walks of life and so there are just so many different personalities and I found that super interesting,” she said.

It took six months before she matched with Fernando.

His experience was much different.

“It was a bit depressing; you start realizing there are a lot of not sane people out there, people that have a lot of things going on, maybe not in the right career path, not in the right mental space, maturity level,” he said.

They hit it off and married two years later, and have two children.

“At the end, we had a good experience with it, now that I think back, we tell each other funny stories about it, and it’s just memories,” Fernando said.

The Roques are among millions of people that have used dating apps and found success.

There were more than 40 million users in the U.S. in 2020.

A new Pew Research Center study found Tinder is the most widely used platform, with some 46 percent of Americans who have ever used it.

But the experiences were mixed.

“I’ve had some great experiences and I’ve had some not-so-great experiences; I have made a few good friends along the way,” he said.

Kathryn Tweedt, 57, started using dating apps about a year ago for the first time.

“They do get exhausting, there are a lot of scammers out there, a lot of fake profiles, a lot of people that are just wasting time,” Tweedt said.

She says the process can be challenging, but she isn’t giving up on love, just yet.

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