Is Romance in the Age of Dating Apps Changing Love Stories?
I’ll be honest. Dating apps have created a problem for romance writers. Meet-cute scenarios are blown out of the water, the thrill of getting to know your ultimate lover/partner through a series of interactions, slowly peeling back the layers of the character’s onion are banished, suspense and mystery – my forte – are more challenging than ever. Notwithstanding, dating apps do present some opportunities, at least from my perspective and the genre I prefer. There are now ways to deceive by creating several fake identities, outright lying on one’s profile, with meet-cute still possible through faux-pas and missed dates through the creation of confusion.
The Impact of Dating Apps on Romance Writing
Changing Romantic Tropes
Fact of the matter is, we are living in the information age, where it’s possible to know strangers intimately well through their social media posts, digital footprint, and plentiful other clues by trolling their internet history. However, and this is a big BUT, we also live in the disinformation age, where these very platforms are used to propagate lies and what better way of doing so than falsifying information on a dating app?
Communication Shifts in Modern Romance
Modern romances now tend to be filled with text messaging instead of dialogue, social media posts instead of letters or even email, and emojis instead of genuine smiles or exchanged glares. Dating apps, in particular, have found their way into mainstream but the genre is still quite small. Traditionally, romance authors tended to use lack of communication as a key conflict-building tool, letters are used, dialogues are critical. Interactions had to be in person, as opposed to the possibility of a virtual meeting like online chats and video calls.
New Tropes and Opportunities in Modern Romance
Emerging Tropes in the Digital Age
Dating apps and social media have given rise to new tropes – such as online stalking, revenge porn, trolling on media, and false identities. Bait and switch can take on new meanings in the virtual world. The real question is – are they refreshing or creating more challenges for authors?
Adapting to the Digital Landscape
The answer is somewhere in the middle. I have already elucidated the challenges at the onset, and the opportunities to authors to expand on traditional tropes, so we won’t rehash them. On balance, and this is my personal view, IRL, romance is easier, with the opportunity to search for one’s soulmate through plentiful means and the tools to evaluate their potential candidacy mostly effective. Romance writing, however, is harder, not easier, with several avenues of conflict, chief amongst them separation, lack of communication, misunderstanding arising out of misinformation more difficult to depict and the associated tropes available just an upgrade on the old wine – in a new bottle.
The Future of Romance in the Age of AI
The Role of AI in Romance
Will these tropes catch on? Will the genre expand at the cost of others? Time alone will tell. As I have witnessed the birth and evolution of social media, I remain unconvinced that they will sustain, but equally certain they will change rapidly in the years to come. Facebook was born and is now dying. Twitter became X and a hotbed of controversy. Every decade has seen the rise of newer platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and many others. Are these for the better? Social media is used more to spread hate than love, and cyberstalking is a serious threat to children, adolescents, and adults. In romance writing, the aforementioned darker aspects do present opportunities to authors like me.
Embracing New Opportunities
A new age is not too far away – the rise of Artificial Intelligence. Will AI feature in romance? It already has. In fact, as early as the eighties, albeit futuristic at the time. Today, it’s a reality. Raj had a brief crush on Siri in The Big Bang Theory. She even crushed on him back. Lol.
Navigating Modern Romance
There are several entertaining examples too numerous to enumerate here. Even the biggies like Harlequin have embraced it, gouging on all the tropes, like in Kristin Rockaway’s How to Hack a Heartbreak. They’re modern, refreshing, and exciting.
Want to read more Ravina on modern romance and writing?
I encourage budding authors to embrace the opportunities and accept the challenges head-on. There are subtleties and nuances only the digital age can provide, newer ways to weave mystery into romance and suspense into the true nature of an individual despite the ostensible public profile. Getting to know one another can still be an exciting journey, even if you know their favourite colour and how they prefer their coffee. The art is selling it and is achieved through the generous helpings of emojis, texts, and social media posts.
Any ideas, my lovelies? Let me know your thoughts.
Sigh. With a saddened heart, I bid you goodbye, but only for the moment. Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. Talk soon.
Ravina