I am Mariangela of age 29. I must say that when Andre reached out to me and asked me for my contribution with some replies for his book I thought it was kind of a Godsend.

I learned some juicy stories and opinions I had resigned myself never to tell anyone about (people don’t really like to talk about dating apps, there is some prejudice against them that stop them from sharing their experiences, good or bad), but that deep down I needed to let out. It was liberating, if I must say so. Not only did I got to terms with these apps by reading the experiences Andre wrote about, but also got the chance to share some of my own, which helped me a lot.

I found it refreshing that someone had decided to speak about this particular use of social media, to speak about these apps and of what happen inside of them. Their power dynamics, the necessity to lye, the whole play-pretend thing, the experience of finding a good partner or even how to present yourself on these sites. The entire review of these interactions and of these particular apps is something that no author had ever do here in Venezuela, where I come from, with all the prejudice and toxic masculinity hanging in the air.

Moreover, speaking about masculinity, to me it was somehow inspiring that this book was written not by a woman, as one would usually expect, but by a man who is trying to give the reader a more complete or even balanced perspective of the whole thing. There is more to these apps than one-night-stands and finding a love so pure and sweet it would put all those fantasy novels to shame… These apps have their own languages, codes and forms of interacting with one another, which one must know of before getting involved in them.

All of these reasons made it easy for me to accept Andre’s call to participate in his book. I also believe an honest and well-thought approximation like this one could be helpful for those out there looking for some kind of guide in all this scary process that is putting yourself out there and meet people, even if virtually. Moreover, the participation of people from different countries and nationalities can give the reader more of a diverse approximation, making it more possible for them to feel identified, which can be helpful when seeking for help or advice.

If you are looking for a book with a more complex point of view about dating apps or dating online, I would highly recommend this one by Andre. No doubt.