Textationship but make it platonic: 21% daters say online pals are replacing IRL besties

Friendship is changing. According to a recent survey by the Indian dating app QuackQuack, there’s an emerging culture of platonic ‘textationships’ where friendships are created and sustained through online interactions, not in-person meetings. Conducted among 8,500 people between 18 and 40 years of age, the study discovered that 2 out of 7 Indians meet a close friend online via dating apps, a behavior most common among young generations and women.

Online friendships on the rise: a new era of low-effort, high-reward connections

This translates to about 21 percent of users discovering completely platonic friends on the site, with some even replacing existing friends who are too busy in real life. This is due to the busy demands of contemporary living that have left many without the energy for ‘high-effort’ friendships. Online associations, however, are ‘low-effort, high-reward.’

The trend is predominantly fuelled by Gen Z, as 27 percent of the participants aged between 18 and 25 frequently text those they have met online in a purely social role. Millennials come close to this, as more than 15 percent reveal they communicate more with new online acquaintances than with boyhood buddies, particularly those who have relocated to other cities.

The research discovered that women are more likely to engage in online friendships compared to men. Three out of five female users in Tier 2 and 3 cities reported having fully platonic app-based friendships, while just one out of five male users did. The survey indicates that this is because dating apps provide women in smaller cities with a means of meeting like-minded individuals outside of the context of romance. Men, however, seem to be more ‘goal-oriented’ and mainly seek romantic relationships.

But not all of us are convinced. Over-35s are less keen, with just 7 percent of them interested in creating online friends. Fears about ‘realness’ and wanting the intimacy of face-to-face contact were given as prime reasons. A 38-year-old Savitri, said, “I want to get to know my friends, go to cafes, laugh together; relying my whole friendship on meme-sharing and texting won't be enough for me.”

In spite of the skepticism, most of the advocates of textationships view them as a low-pressure and flexible means to develop connections. Mihir from Kanpur described the time-independence and lack of effort needed, further stating that “you can dive into serious discussions on the very first chat.”

However, there are also some negative aspects to the trend. Seventeen per cent of Tier 1 daters cautioned that platonic relationships can sometimes develop into replicas of romantic ones, jealousy and digital fatigue also being cited as possible pitfalls. Shikha, a 31-year-old Mumbai doctor, preferred to have IRL relationships, reasoning, “without real-life interaction, how can I be emotionally invested in a person?”

As the world becomes increasingly online, it looks like friendships are doing the same, bringing with them a new age of online connections that bring ease but also new challenges.

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.