- Dating apps are prevalent: about half of American adults under 30 have used one.1
- However, their effectiveness is questionable: only a small percentage of Americans report forming committed relationships or marriages through these platforms.2
- Unsurprisingly, 45% of dating app users report feeling frustrated.3
- This could be due to the artificial nature of these interactions.
- Additionally, app creators have an interest in keeping users searching; if everyone found lasting relationships, their business model would fail. This conflict of interest likely influences app design and functionality.
While Hinge’s advertising slogan boasts that it is “designed to be deleted,” the lawsuit claims Match Group’s dating apps are really designed to turn users into “addicts” who do not find true love and instead keep purchasing subscriptions and other paid perks to keep the publicly traded company’s revenue flowing.
Tinder, Hinge maker Match Group sued over ‘addictive’ dating apps : NPR
- Even when dating apps succeed, the outcomes may be suboptimal: online daters report less satisfying and stable marriages.4
- Hobby-related activities offer a more organic way to form new friendships and relationships.
- Shared interests provide natural conversation starters and common ground.
- Meeting through activities can alleviate the pressure associated with traditional dating.
- Hobbies offer opportunities for repeated, casual interactions, allowing relationships to develop naturally over time.
- Apps also play a role in hobbies, and hobby apps may be better matchmakers than dating apps:
Because hobby apps are nicer places to exist, people spend more time on them – and they can eventually turn into services that are more than advertised. That includes finding like-minded people with whom you’d want to spend your time romantically.
Goodbye Tinder, hello Strava: have ‘hobby’ apps become the new social networks? | Apps | The Guardian
Footnotes
- The who, where and why of online dating in the U.S. | Pew Research Center ↩︎
- The who, where and why of online dating in the U.S. | Pew Research Center ↩︎
- The who, where and why of online dating in the U.S. | Pew Research Center ↩︎
- The online dating effect: Where a couple meets predicts the quality of their marriage – ScienceDirect ↩︎
Leave a Reply