This Valentine’s Day will you have a Meet Cute?
4 min read
It's the season of romantic encounters. Credit: Pixabay
With the beginning of the New Year now undergone, the idea of possibility and opportunity poses the eternal question, what if?
Along with the prospect of the what if, the hopeless romantics of the world may be dreaming of their ‘Meet-Cute’.
But What is a ‘Meet-Cute’ and why do Gen Zs insist on having one?
According to the Oxford definition a ’Meet-Cute’ is “An amusing or charming first encounter between two characters that leads to the development of a romantic relationship between them.”
An example can be seen in the new TV adaption of the book One Day, where two young individuals meet unpredictably. Insist sparks and chemistry are evident to them and those around them, their lives becoming interchangeable for the rest of their lives.
Many Gen Zs find stories like this inspiring, perhaps their parents were high school lovers or their grandparents were neighbours, the purpose of finding love authentically is desirable for young people.
Although One Day provides attractive sentimental fiction, is this a possible reality for the modern youth? The premises of One Day started in 1989, a year when cell phones and the use of endless forms of communication weren’t so prevalent.
Yet with Valentine’s Day right around the corner many of us are left pondering the question is it time to ditch the dating apps and begin creating stories through a ‘Meet-Cute’?
The Tiktok account Meet Cute Scotland based in Glasgow, asks strangers in couples questions about how they met. The response is you guessed it, pretty cute, with older couples reminiscing on their good old days, working together, meeting in pubs and other third spaces.
However, upon research, the majority of videos show a lack of representation for Gen Z. Is this due to the current lack of third spaces that are available to the younger generation or did the effects of the pandemic hinder our chances of having that ‘Meet-Cute’? On the other hand, can we arguably say that this generation is just a bit lax when it comes to dating, it isn’t called casual for no reason.
When it comes to casual dating a multitude of youngsters believe that dating apps just aren’t as exciting as they used to be.
Apps like Tinder were a mass phenomenon at the time it was introduced to millennials. The likelihood of meeting someone you may not have to see again or the chance of true love was exhilarating, even today almost one-fifth of the UK now use dating apps according to a recent Statista study.
With this being said, downloads have decreased in the past three years, from a peak of 287.4 million downloads in 2019. Is this due to everyone being overly accessible, the mystery of a person is removed, once you have gained that match, followed their Instagram and stalked their mother’s dead granny on Facebook, you almost already know the bare basics of who that person is without having the privilege of meeting yet. Maybe, the younger generation no longer finds this form of chasing, as attractive as the slow burn of discovering a person in the flesh.
On asking a pool of Gen Z individuals, Law student, Honor Logan said: “The decline of dating apps comes from the expectation of sex from the other party, increasing anxiety and sexual pressure. There is a lack of genuine fulfilment from human connection”
As established we have seen the decline of dating apps, however, can these apps lead towards successful relationships?
University Graduate Teni Akintola said: “I think there can be a success, all you need is for two people to meet the rest is up to them, however judging someone from a two-second gaze, few pics and a quick swipe isn’t reasonable. It makes it almost impossible to gauge a true connection, to begin with.”
On the other hand, the younger generation tends to prefer the app Hinge as it provides more chances for people to showcase their personalities and outline their interests. The app prides itself on its self-awareness “designed to be deleted”. Hinge wants you to know if each potential match has similar interests, and to do that they’d provide profile prompts for you to choose from, they don’t want their users to engage in endless swiping and instead be a bit mindful of their choices.
Yet this still isn’t enough for some Law student who prefers to stay anonymous said: “I don’t like either but if I were to use one it would be hinge as it does have more details, it makes it more interesting and I feel more safe.”
Although Hinge does gauge its users more cooperatively, these casual ways of meeting still have a heavy influence when it comes to modernised relationships. Honour Logan said: “The increased lack of respect – seeing people as commodities has increased infidelity, and this leads to people not wanting to take accountability for their actions.”
Student, Kai Warzala said: “It has created a false sense of option for the majority of people.”
All in all, what can Gen Zs do to create more fulfilling and long-lasting relationships? Will ditching the apps create an increased sense of value in a person or are we just limiting the opportunity to find our true match? Is the saying true, quality over quantity? You decide, maybe this Valentine you will find your very own ‘Meet-Cute’.
