NEWSDAY – Mar 24 – The FTC recently released data that consumers reported $201M lost in online dating scams in 2019, up ~40% since 2018. One group that is particularly vulnerable to online dating scams is the "over 60" demographic, due to digital naivete, seniors are often lonely, more trusting and have time on their hands, an ideal set up for falling victim.
Month: March 2020
Bumble Folks Are Flirty
TMZ – Mar 24 – Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Bumble's seeing a 21% increase in its voice chat and video call usage, and people are staying on the line longer than normal, as in 15 minutes on average. Bumble says messages are being exchanged at a higher clip overall in San Francisco (26% bump), NYC (23% increase) and Seattle (21% jump). Bumble and Tinder are doling out dating advice for the COVID-19 era and encouraging singles to get to know someone without meeting up in person.
Exclusive Dating Apps in South Korea
KOREA HERALD – Mar 23 – In order to join dating app Amanda, users need to receive an average score of three or higher out of a possible five points from 20 members of the app. GoldSpoon, which takes its name from the term used in Korea to refer to people from wealthy families, only allows rich men to join the app. They must own an imported car, having a house in the three most expensive districts in Seoul, earning ~70M won ($56K) or having a highly paying professional job. Women applicants must have a professional job or an appearance that passes the test by the members in the app. The acceptable age range is 20 to 40 for both men and women. Educational background is another factor restricting those who can join certain dating apps. SKY People and Diamatch requires applicants to the app to verify having attended or graduated prestigious universities or to be working for a major company.
by Lim Jang-won
See full article at Korea Herald
Q&A With Bumble’s Vice President of Strategy, Priti Joshi
MENAFN – Mar 23 – As India stays home to prevent the spread of COVID-19, online dating is on the rise. Bumble says that the e-dating space in India will see a gendered shift, with more women taking the lead, and an increased desire for meaningful, lasting connections.
Q: What is India's dating scene like? What makes it unique, as compared to other countries?
A: It is highly fragmented. On one side, there are many global apps focused on dating, and on the other, there are local, homegrown players focused on dating or matrimony. Bumble saw an opportunity to play in the middle – to bring to India a social network where women are empowered to make the first move.
Q: Specifically for women, online dating can get a little tricky. What do you think is women users' ask of an online dating platform?
A: We care deeply about bringing people together with a mission to end misogyny. It was important for us to prioritise safety features.
Q: What have been your key observations over the years since you launched?
A: Over this last year, Bumble India's user base has quadrupled to 2M users and one of our fastest growing user segments is Gen Z. We've also seen that women in India are empowered and excited to take control. Furthermore, we've seen that 40% of women in India use more than one mode on Bumble.
by Siddhi Jain
See full article at MenaFN
Extra-marital App Gleeden’s Subscriptions up 70% in India
DAIJIWORLD.COM – Mar 23 – Extra-marital dating app Gleeden has seen subscriptions increased by 70% in India as more people stay home. Gleeden has seen longer threads in chats (2.5 times times longer than usual), an increase in the upload of pictures in both public and especially private albums and in the number of members who are updating their profiles with a new description. Gleeden started its operations in India in 2017 and now claims to have over 8 lakh active Indian users.
Coronavirus Makes Dating a Lot More Complicated
WALL STREET JOURNAL – Mar 23 – Trying to build a relationship while reducing human contact during the coronavirus pandemic is tricky. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio weighed in to give dating advice earlier this month. "If you're sick, don't go on a date. If the date is sick, don't go on the date," he said. As far as kissing at the end of a date, he called it "wise" to abstain. That was then. Now, much of the country has been ordered to stay inside their homes, and most Americans have cut off in-person contact. This leaves little room for romance. But human nature dictates: the longer people are isolated, the more they crave companionship. "People don't want to feel alone, and they've already watched everything on Netflix," said Adam Cohen-Aslatei, CEO of dating app S'More. The average number of daily users of S'More increased 28% the third week of March and the length of conversations has doubled. Say Allo saw a 350% increase in video-date sessions in the early weeks of March.
Tinder Users Score Higher on a Measure of Narcissism and Psychopathy
Tinder Offers Tinder Passport for Free
THEVERGE – Mar 20 – Starting next week, Tinder is making its Passport feature free for all users through April 30th. Passport allows people to pay to swipe abroad wherever they want. It usually costs money to access through either Tinder Gold or Tinder Plus.
OKCupid: “Now Is Not the Time to Go to a Bar”
by Carly Stern
See full article at DailyMail.co.uk
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Tinder U’s ‘Still in Session’ Lets College Students Swipe Everywhere
ELITE DAILY – Mar 20 – Tinder U's "Still In Session" just launched, allowing students to connect with others near or far while they're quarantining. Tinder U, a version of the dating app that's reserved solely for college students, typically allows users to find and match with others at their own schools or on nearby campuses. That means that their swiping pool is limited to people within a short distance range that's set by the app. Obviously, the coronavirus outbreak has changed a lot, with many students moving home for the remainder of the semester. That's where the new "Still in Session" feature comes in: Tinder U has officially removed its distance radius, so students can connect with other students no matter where they live.