<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>338339</docID> <postdate>2025-02-15 09:40:40</postdate> <headline>Finding love not always rosy in fickle digital age</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-338340" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pexels-olly-3765035-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /></p> <caption>Dating app users can become stuck in a loop of using the service to find a partner, an expert says. Photo: Andrea Piacquadio</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Holly Hales</strong></span></p> <p><strong>Love-seeking singles often attest to a dating scene riddled with drama and disappointment.</strong></p> <p>Experts offer them a glimpse of the tough reality facing Australians seeking their ideal relationship online in the wake of a Valentine's Day spent alone.</p> <p>Users on the likes of Hinge, Tinder and Bumble often become trapped into an endless cycle of use, says says author and academic Lisa Portolan who holds a doctorate on dating apps and intimacy.</p> <p>"Predominantly these dating apps are where people are meeting each other but they're doing it in a very episodic or cyclical sort of way," she told AAP.</p> <p>"They might go on for periods of time and then not find what they're looking due to being bored or whatever it might be.</p> <p>"It might be two weeks, it could be six months, and then eventually they circle back. So it's a bit episodic alongside that."</p> <p>In an ironic twist, Generation Z - those born after 1996 - are turning to more traditional ways of finding love.</p> <p>"I mean, dating apps have really struggled to engage with Gen Z," Dr Portolan said.</p> <p>"A lot of Gen Z do meet organically ... I think that the kinds of synthetic experience of dating apps has less appealed to Gen Z."</p> <p>Ryan Anderson, from Monash University's School of Psychological Sciences, said shunning apps can often lead to "more authentic, intentional dating", regardless of age.</p> <p>"I've noticed that the landscape seems to be shifting," he said.</p> <p>"People are embracing low-cost, in-person events and 'future-proofing' conversations by discussing finances and long-term goals early on," he said.</p> <p>"It's probably fairly safe to say that more people are romantically interacting online than ever before (but) there's a noticeable shift toward transparency and meaningful connection over the casual swipe culture."</p> </body>