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Hook-up apps and online dating sites such as Tinder, OKCupid and Bumble are obviously there to make it much easier for you to find love, but sometimes it’s just such a schlep to browse through all the apps - only to end up swiping left.
And I mean, there’s only so much “hi, sex?” you can take before wanting to crush your phone beneath the heels of your boots.
Unless of course you’re purely after a hookup, in which case, carry on with your happy self.
But what would you do if you gave up all the control that went into searching for the perfect partner and let someone else do the work for you instead? More specifically, what if that someone else was a friend?
READ MORE: I tried 3 different dating apps – here’s what I've learnt
Well, it turns out that you actually can hand over the reins with a dating app called Wingman. An article recently featured on The Cut reveals that this app allows your friends to browse through profiles on your behalf and a match for you.
The idea behind the app is that your friend plays the main and administrative role on your behalf. He/she creates your profile – things that are included can be anything from your likes and dislikes, to what it is you’re looking for in a partner.
Basically, your friend’s job is to provide a stellar testimonial and has to be the one who convinces others to match with you and also approve a match for you.
But, before you think you don’t get any say in it, you of course do get to decide whether or not you want to take things further.
How the app works according to the play app instructions is as follows:
- Both you and your friend will need to download the app
- If your friend is playing wingman, she’ll need to download the app first and then invite you, as the single party, to join
- Your friend will create your profile, but will ultimately need your approval before posting anything
- Once approval has been given, your friend will then start browsing through the dating feed to find a match for you
- If she finds someone she’ll make the match – but introductions can only then happen if the match returns the interest
READ MORE: Fat girls shouldn’t be allowed on Tinder, right?
I think there is a good number of things to take into consideration here, the first being that being good friends (great friends even), does not necessarily translate into being a great matchmaker.
Of course dating is all about taking a gamble, but while you can predict on a certain level what someone will like based on superficial things they may have in common, there’s no way to predict whether there’ll be chemistry or any connection that goes beyond that.
WATCH: Digital dating: Why you should say yes to maybe
I also can’t help but wonder if lines won’t be crossed and whether or not that person will start thinking of the dating app profile as belonging to him/her and not the person on behalf of who they’re searching matches for.
Of course WomensHealthmag.com also notes that a big con in terms of matchmaking for your friend can also result in blame being placed on the friend when things go wrong.
It’s certainly an exercise in trust and one that I think would require a lot of ground rules to be set even before signing up. Strangely it could also be seen as an exercise in much laughter, ridiculousness and bonding?
After all, chances are that because you know each other so well, there’s a greater chance that things will work out than things going wrong, right?
Would you let your friend be your dating wingman or woman? Have you met your loved one through a friend’s matchmaking? Tell us about it.
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