The idea of separation haunted Ameena Jain at first, but now the 60-year-old, who uses numerous dating services, has discovered freedom and love in her own unique manner. She is enjoying her life on her own terms after ending a ten-year marriage and has no plans to remarry until she falls in love with someone. Another user from West Bengal, who wishes to stay anonymous, is, similarly, enjoying life on his own terms. Both of them feel that the dating apps have improved their lives and made them more socially and emotionally independent.
“I am 60 but still longing for a companion. It feels great that the dating application provides such platforms. My wife died 10 years ago and since then I have felt lonelier. I seek every opportunity to meet new people. Youngsters, these days, do not realise the significance of companionship unless they grow old. It is not their fault, it is life!” the Wakie (an app) user, who prefers to stay anonymous, told The Daily Guardian.
When questioned if he was previously tech-savvy, he laughed and said he had a lot of free time to try something new and read books. During the pandemic, he also discovered his passion for painting. “My grandkid introduced me to several dating applications whenever I shared my thoughts with him. He is 15, and I guess my stories bore him,” he chuckled.
It has been observed that senior citizens have a different approach towards life. Millennials and Gen-Z may use dating apps to find something casual, but senior citizens do not. The older generation has valued relationships more than the younger generation because they lost someone they love. The dating application, QuackQuack, shows that 62% of male users are willing to give love another opportunity. They desire to develop an emotional and romantic bond with someone they like. One is always on the lookout for a deep and profound connection. However, not every user is looking for love. Some have come to meet and spend time with like-minded folks. The majority of female users (66%) are looking for platonic connections in which they may go further into topics or subjects that interest them and engage in intellectual dialogue with their matches.
From the emotional perspective, it has been noted that senior citizens miss having long and in-depth conversations now that everyone is glued to their phones. People living alone often find their life monotonous and the older generation has a lot of interesting tales to share. Asked why they like dating apps, 71% of users said it provided them with the opportunity to have long conversations with strangers. Meeting individuals in the same stage of life and listening to their life stories makes them feel connected. Also, it is difficult for persons above 50 to establish a romantic relationship.
According to the survey, only 28% of men wish to marry again and spend the rest of their lives happily with their new partner. While 72% of female users would prefer to go on dates, vacations, or spend quality time with their partners than get married, only if the relationship is genuine.
Several agencies, such as Happy Seniors Dating Agency, have also been trying to reduce the fear of adult children who believe that their elder parents would be ostracized by society. In terms of traditional notes, our Indian society has always expected that the older people must live a life of reverence, surrounded by spirituality and family, taking care of grandchildren and so forth.
According to a report received from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation titled “Elderly in India 2021”, India has over 130 million elderly people, including 67 million men and 71 million women. As per sources, almost 15 million senior citizens live alone, showing some signs of recoupling again.
“Dating apps were designed keeping the young people in mind, but with the acceptance of online dating and technology, the older people have also joined these platforms. Although their expectations are different from younger people. People can fall in love anytime or with anyone, there are no rules for it. It is uplifting to know that these people are finding love again and creating bonds with like-minded people. They are teaching us the importance of having a relationship and we should never stop looking for one,” Ravi Mittal, the Founder and CEO of QuackQauck told this newspaper.