OK Cupid, Stop Bumbling around and Match Me Tinder: Using Dating Apps Across the Life Course

Gerontol Geriatr Med. 2020 Aug 7:6:2333721420947498. doi: 10.1177/2333721420947498. eCollection 2020 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

Social connectedness, sex, and intimacy are all factors associated with positive aging, facing individuals in society across the life course. Phenomenal technological developments in the 21st century have led to the increased use of smartphones, mobile apps, and dating apps for a myriad of services, and engagements. This paper focuses on two specific cohorts' who have the opportunity to engage with dating apps, older adults and young citizens with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions, and highlights issues related to the intersection of technology, societal constructions of age, disability, and online dating.

Keywords: aging; intimacy; life-limited conditions; loneliness; older adults; privacy issues; sexuality; social isolation; young adults.