By Shane Tews
Nowadays, more people are employing algorithms to find romantic partners. According to recent studies, 30 percent of American adults have used a dating app or website, and before COVID-19, 39 percent of heterosexual people reported meeting their partner online.
While stuck inside during viral outbreaks, people have
craved companionship. Dating app Tinder saw record-high usage in the first
month of the pandemic — with 3 billion swipes on March 29, 2020 alone. Dating apps have
been on an upward trend ever since; this year, the global online dating
industry’s market value is expected to increase from $5.8 billion to $6.4 billion.
Match Group, the parent company of dating apps Hinge, OkCupid, and Tinder is
now a $20 billion matchmaking empire. At least 50 American online dating
startups were founded between 2019 and 2021, and there are now over 2,000 such companies worldwide.
Today’s dating apps possess more sophisticated technology than earlier iterations. The large pool of data supplied by subscribers themselves and enhanced social-science techniques make some dating apps less about swiping through another user’s photos and more about mutual interest. While earlier versions of apps like Tinder “solved for rejection” by highlighting the swipe function, other apps’ user interfaces have changed to allow more information flow, utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to sort through potential matches. This means the newer apps…
