Making friends through apps: a growing trend among young people

Dating apps are not the only platforms popular among young people; there are also dedicated platforms designed specifically for making friends. Anne-Linda Camerini, Lecturer-Researcher at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), and Matilde Melotto, PhD Assistant at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at USI, spoke about the trend in an interview published in the magazine "Azione".

Numerous apps have been developed to connect people with shared interests, allowing them to make friends. The best known of these are Bumble BFF - a section of the dating app Bumble - Meetup, GetYourGuide, Geneva, Monke and Spontacts. Each platform has its characteristics and peculiarities: "The concept of Spontacts is to help individuals find others with similar interests to organise spontaneous or planned activities together," explained Anne-Linda Camerini, illustrating the case of the app developed by students from ETH Zurich. "Among the most popular interests and activities are sports, cooking, board games, languages and music. An interesting feature of this app is that it provides an affordable alternative to the paid activities or courses typically offered by sports centres and night schools."

What all the apps have in common, however, is the fact that they are mainly used by young people between the ages of 25 and 35: "A phase of life today, more than ever, that is full of uncertainties," says Matilde Melotto. "As many individuals pursue their studies up to university level, the school system serves as a protective environment and a facilitator of social interaction until around age 25, which typically concludes with entering the workforce. Job positions are increasingly unstable and digital, compelling young people to change jobs frequently and work more independently. As a result, they must seek meaningful connections outside their work contacts."

The use of dating apps seems to have increased in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated the phenomenon of social isolation, particularly felt among young people in the 19-29 age group. "Loneliness should be considered a health risk factor as it is linked to mental issues, sleep problems and an increased risk of addiction to substances and behaviours, such as digital abuse. Therefore, the fact that one-third of the young population feels lonely should be regarded as a public health issue," said Anne-Linda Camerini, who went on to emphasise that it is important to distinguish between two types of loneliness: social loneliness, caused by an actual lack of relationships, and emotional loneliness. In the second case, one feels lonely despite having relationships that are perceived as superficial and weak, often also due to virtual connections, which lead to having many followers one has never met in reality.

The shift of many relationships from the real world to the virtual realm complicates dynamics. As Matilde Melotto illustrates: "Relationships are complex interpersonal interactions that require active effort from individuals, unlike the virtual world, which provides immediate gratification driven by the stimulation of dopaminergic neural circuits, free from the difficulties and challenges typical of the real world. However, this comes at a price because the less we relate to one another, the more we try to avoid confrontation and isolate ourselves."

However, virtual relationships should not be demonised because, as Matilde Melotto explained, they can also bring numerous advantages: "They provide the opportunity to shorten geographical distances and easily connect with like-minded individuals who share common interests. Dating apps, including those for making friends, represent the evolution of social media as they facilitate the original goal of connecting people, serving as a bridge between digital interactions and face-to-face meetings." What is important, therefore, is to focus on this primary objective and to ensure that the initial virtual encounter is later transformed into a nurtured relationship in the real world.

Online dating also conceals certain risks that it is important to be aware of, and which the USI doctoral student wanted to mention in the pages of "Azione": "Multiple studies indicate that users of these apps can develop a skewed perception of their own desirability based on the feedback they receive. This phenomenon can boost self-esteem for those who experience success while fostering a sense of inadequacy for those who receive limited interactions." Ghosting, i.e. sudden cessation of all forms of communication, and orbiting, i.e. stopping interactions while continuing to follow the other person on social media, can also occur. "These are risky dynamics as they produce a sense of abandonment worse than rejection and leave a sense of emptiness that is complex to interpret and manage," concluded Matilde Melotto.

The full interview with Anne-Linda Camerini and Matilde Melotto by Alessandra Ostini Sutto for "Azione" is available at the following link.