Dating apps like like Tinder, TrulyMadly, Woo, OKCupid, Hinge and HookedUp are beginning to gain popularity in second-tier Indian cities, The New Indian Express reports.
A resident of Tiruchirappalli, a Tamil Nadu city with population 1 million, told the publication that a number of users could be found online there.
More users, he felt, were bound to come and sign up for online platforms in 2018.
The anonymity of online dating helps to liberate youngsters in a traditional environment, the article notes, and this may be behind the swell in popularity.
A Thanjavur resident (population 250,000) felt that there was a growing level of curiosity about online dating in her community.
Another young Indian told The New Indian Express: “Youngsters in smaller towns of India are bound more tightly by cultural restrictions.
“It’s not like we can go ahead and freely start dating women before settling down with someone we like. Dating apps sure remove those restrictions.”
Chennai based psychological Counsellor Abi Shankari weighed in on the promulgation, also suggesting that app use would likely remain secretive in conservative smaller cities.
Part of the stigma, she adds, comes from the fact that anyone from married men to underage teens can register accounts on dating apps if they are technologically savvy.
Other experts, according to the article, are worried that dating apps becoming more widespread in India will have an impact on marriage and the traditional family unit.
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