22 October,2026 03:27 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Image for representational purpose only. Photo Courtesy: File pic
A new kind of epidemic is sweeping the dating world: relationship advice packed into a 30-second reel, with dramatic music, bullet points, and comments full of people saying, "If they wanted, they would have." Most relationship content on social media explains what a high-value partner should look like, and why red flags usually earn that tag.
In a survey by Indian dating app QuackQuack, nearly 8,000 users said that a 30-sec reel, with its unofficial rulebook, makes sense only in those 30 seconds, and not inside a whole relationship.
The app surveyed over 10,000 Indian dating singles between the ages of 22 and 38 years, from Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities. Participants were also selected from various professional fields for an all-round understanding of the effects of relationship content on real connections.
The app's founder and CEO, Ravi Mittal, commented, "We forget that relationships come with context; right now, people are being hand-fed content, and while there's a lot of helpful information out there, it can also be unwise to blindly apply every relationship rule to your own. You watch a few reels, and suddenly a missed call is not just a missed call; it's emotional negligence. It might be in some cases, but not in all. That's an important difference to understand."
Social media has made relationship advice extremely accessible; however, it has also oversimplified things. "If they don't get you flowers, they aren't the one," "If they fight to win, they aren't the one": these summaries without context offer the comfort of certainty but forget to mention how emotions are more nuanced than that. It further said that 4,694 Indian dating singles over 25 years of age from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and other smaller cities shared that the trouble starts when people forget that relationships don't work with a one-size-fits-all solution. The survey said six in 10 men complained that wanting some space after a stressful day at work is not being emotionally unavailable, while 38 per cent of dating singles argued that not being able to plan an elaborate date like the "reel couples" doesn't mean they are putting in less effort. Jasmine, 31, said, "Intentions, circumstances, frequency, everything matters. The algo doesn't know whether a couple has been fighting every day for a month, or simply had a bad day. And then the viewers see one reel mirroring their situation and start believing it's the end for them too. There should be a small disclaimer at the beginning: not applicable to all."
The boyfriend who never lets his GF go to sleep angry, or the girlfriend who understands her partner even before he says a word: sounds great but might not be as realistic in everyday life. The comments fill up with "green forest" compliments, and someone somewhere going through a momentary rough time starts thinking why their partner isn't the same, revealed 41 per cent of men and women in an exclusive relationship for over a year. The survey revealed that 3,347 respondents said they understand that they are seeing a polished version of someone's relationship, with several retakes to capture the best of the best, and still they end up comparing it with their unedited, raw connection. Akriti from Bengaluru said, "Relationship trends created on social media reels, like grand, destination proposals, or cinematic surprises, and even the dreamy couple pictures, almost everything sets normal relationships up for failure. It's a good thing to be inspired, but inspiration quickly turns into comparison for most of us. The quieter expression of love becomes undervalued. The fault is in us too, to a great extent."
No matter how many ways relationship content distorts expectations, 48% of daters said dismissing the influence of it would be unfair. About 27 per cent of women in their 30s said it can be eye-opening at times. 4 in 10 people admitted they learnt about boundaries from watching other people's relationship content, while 13 per cent of singles desperate for a connection said they realised love is not all glitter from the same reels that have affected some other couples negatively. Anuj (29, single) said, "For someone who has not once been in a healthy relationship, seeing others' happy moments online gives me hope."
