OUTSPORTS – May 26 – LGBT mental health researcher Jack Turban explains the vicious relationship between Grindr and mental health. He says Grindr works like a slot machine: once in a while you score, but more often, you fail. A survey of 2K iPhone users showed that 77% of Grindr users felt regret after logging on. "The big problem is, as a society, we have not created enough safe spaces for LGBT young people to explore their gender and sexuality in a developmentally appropriate way," Turban says. "As a young gay, lesbian or bisexual person, if you're closeted, you're probably not going to have a high school prom, you're probably not going to have a classroom valentine. Because kids don't have that place to explore, a lot of them go online. It feels safer and more discreet and more anonymous." Even for those who aren't struggling with their identities, the coronavirus quarantine can be an exceptionally isolating experience. Many LGBT people are closer to their chosen families than biological families, and it can hurt to not see them. Stuck without in-person socialization, it can be tempting to turn to Grindr for some instant gratification.
Month: May 2020
How Swipe Dating Apps Are Impacting Mental Health
BIG THINK – May 26 – Research by Western Sydney University and the University of Sydney has linked the experience of swipe-based dating apps to higher rates of psychological distress and/or depression. 20% of participants who use swipe-based dating apps reported a significantly higher level of psychological distress compared to those who didn't use these apps. Not all time spent on these apps is damaging, however. Up to 40% of current users say they previously entered a serious relationship with someone they met through one of these apps. A study of 5K people between the ages of 18-30 years old shows that people are spending an average of 10 hours per week on dating apps alone. Men were logging on to check their status on dating apps 9 times a day, with women logging on 10 times per day to check their potential matches.
Muzmatch Adds Video Date Feature
FORBES – May 24 – Online dating app Muzmatch serves ~2.5M Muslim users around the world. Its new video dating feature makes the world's first religious-themed dating app to include video calling. According to Muzmatch's own in-house surveys, 83% of its users had trouble finding a spouse because of lockdowns. According to CEO Shahzad Younas, the new function doesn't come without some controversy as video dating is rejected by many Muslims. Some followers would consider it "haram" or forbidden.
The League Officially Launched in South Africa
ITWEB – May 22 – Founded in 2015, The League was created by Amanda Bradford, who also serves as CEO, and is modelled after private members-only clubs like Soho House. The members-only swiping app, aimed at professionals, uses data and social graphs from both Facebook and LinkedIn to fuel its proprietary algorithm. In South Africa, it joins other popular apps like Tinder, EliteSingles, Predict Dating App and SouthAfricanCupid, to name a few.
Q&A With CEO of Match.com Hesam Hosseini
DMAGAZINE – May 22 – The coronavirus pandemic has forever changed the way singles connect, says CEO of Match and Match Affinity, Hesam Hosseini.
Q: How are you coping amid the COVID-19 crisis?
A: Our mission of sparking connections has never been more important. We want to do everything we can to help singles feel less isolated and more connected.
Q: Did your business continuity plan work, or were there surprises?
A: We had to reprioritized our roadmap and went to work building new ways for our members to connect.
Q: What are the short-term ramifications for your specific industry?
A: The tools singles are using to connect changed overnight. Now 70% of our members would use video chat; before pandemic, it was only 6%.
Q: Have you found silver linings in these difficult times?
A: I think our team has become closer than ever.
Q: How are you maintaining your company culture?
A: We hold all of our meetings over video and we use Slack constantly. We get together via virtual happy hours, puppy parties, story time with kids, mindfulness activities, and we even celebrated our 25th anniversary over Zoom this week.
Q: What will things look like for your company and industry in another six months?
A: We will likely keep some work-from-home flavor for a little while as we slowly dial back to normal, whatever that may look like.
by Ben Swanger
See full article at DMagazine
See the top news on Match.com
See the top news on Match Affinity
Matrimony.com Q4 Results: ~$900K Net Profit
ECONOMIC TIMES – May 21 – Online matchmaking service provider Matrimony has recorded consolidated net profits of Rs 6.77 crore ($895K) for the quarter ending March 31, 2020. For the full year ending March 31, 2020 net profits were Rs 29.53 crore ($3.9M, down from Rs 42.45 crore ($5.6M) in 2018-19 fiscal. The revenues for the quarter grew by 4.5% YOY to Rs 94.1 crore ($12.4M) and for the year by 6.7% to Rs 371.8 crore ($50M). The number of paying subscriber is 704K.
70% of Gay Men Not Going on Dates
STAR OBSERVER – May 21 – A survey by Romeo (Planet Romeo), an Amsterdam-based gay dating app, has revealed that 70% of those surveyed said they haven't gone out on dates. 48.3% were keeping dates online only, while 21.6% said that the COVID-19 fallout had sapped their interest in dating. Half of the participants (50%) were also worried about their financial futures, and less than half (43.2%) were concerned about how the global pandemic would affect their health.
Paktor Acquired by Singapore Advisory Firm Kollective Ventures
TECH IN ASIA – May 21 – Singapore-based advisory firm Kollective Ventures has acquired dating and networking app operator Paktor Group from Taiwan's M17 Entertainment. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Paktor Group was formed in 2013 by M17's current CEO Joseph Phua. It owns a number of dating assets, including its namesake app that has operations in Taiwan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. It also runs Goodnight, an app that enables voice conversations between strangers. Paktor was merged with livestreaming company 17 Media in April 2017 to form M17.
by Miguel Cordon
See full article at Tech In Asia
See the top news on Paktor
See the top news on Goodnight
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com
Tinder to Allow People to Get Rid of Their Geography Filters Completely
Dating App Hily Launches Video Calls
