TECHGENYZ – Mar 15 – The app is by Metso Software Design which Xiaomi acquired back in 2015. Heyy is an online voice speed dating software that will show recommendations, dating habits and characteristics of that user. The app could also be used for voice one-on-one chats, games and voice talks; users can also make new friends on the app.
Category: All Worldwide (non UK/Euro/US)
92M Young Adults in China Live Alone
INSIDER – Mar 11 – 15M more Chinese singles have opted to live alone over the last 3 years. This phenomenon could hurt China's birth rate, according to a People.cn article. Debate is swirling around whether these singles are doing so by choice, or due to circumstances beyond their control. Chinese news site Dazhong did a poll to find out. 41% of those polled cited the main reason as being "actively choosing to be single, and tiring of useless romantic entanglements." Another 38% said being an "empty nest youth" was also a choice made by those "escaping from the responsibilities of starting a family." 13% said that they were forced to live alone due to "life and economic pressures," while 7% said it was because they were "unable to find true love."
Chinese Women in Big Cities Prefer Online Dating
WOMENOFCHINA – Mar 11 – According to Tantan's recent survey of 4K women in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, dating apps have become an essential social tool for single women in metropolitan areas. The higher a woman earns, the more active she is in online dating. 40% used Tantan to become acquainted with their dates, 15% were in love more than once via Tantan, and 42% used Tantan to make friends.
by Xu Lin
See full article at WomenofChina
Sugarbook Founder Pleads Not Guilty to Publishing Post on ‘Sugar Babies’
THE STRAITS TIMES – Feb 23 – The founder of Sugarbook has been charged at the Magistrate's Court in Malaysia over the publication of a post "Top 10 Sugar Baby Universities in Malaysia" with intention to cause public fear. The charge carries imprisonment of up to two years or fine or both. On Feb 15, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) blocked access to Sugarbook for allegedly breaching the law on the use of network facilities or services. However, Sugarbook's developer then set up an alternative site to enable its users to access the blocked webpage.
Bumble Unveils Quirky Campaign in Hyderabad
EXCHANGE4MEDIA – Feb 23 – Bumble has partnered with Ritu Varma, Abijeet Duddala, Alekhya Harika and Shreyas Mediratta, who will share their dating tips and tricks to help women make the first move.
Lawyers: Sugarbook Should Not Be Policed for Morality
MALAY MAIL – Feb 20 – Last week, Sugarbook's founder and CEO was arrested on suspicion of wrongfully confining persons for prostitution, soliciting for prostitution, making statements with an intent to cause fear or public alarm, and for improper use of network facilities or a network service. After the police announced investigations on women who are subscribed to the service, they said the exchanges between two consenting adults was not the authorities' business. Advance Tertiary College's academic director Daniel Abishegam said that Sugarbook was simple a "glorified" dating agency whose services did not expressly include trading sex for cash. Lawyer Fahri Azzat argued that Sugarbook was not fundamentally different from other dating services despite its premise of being "where romance meets finance".
by Emmanuel Santa Maria Chin
See full article at Malay Mail
Founder of Sugarbook Arrested by Malaysian Police
MOTHERSHIP.SG – Feb 18 – Sugarbook itself is also being investigated for prostitution and the improper use of network services. Darren Chan's arrest comes about a week after the release of a survey by SeekingArrangement, which said that Malaysia holds the third spot in Asia for the highest number of sugar daddies. Separately, a statement released by Sugarbook at about the same time pointed out that the month of Jan. had seen a 40% increase in sign-ups on the platform among Malaysian university students. Access to Sugarbook's website was blocked on Feb. 15 by Malaysia's Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
China to Have 1.1B Social Media Users by 2025, up 19% YOY
by Rex Pascual
See full article at TradingPlatforms.com
This post also appears on VerySocialNetwork
Sugarbook Dating Site Goes Blank in Malaysia
FREE MALAYSIA TODAY – Feb 16 – Controversial dating site Sugarbook has been blocked by Malaysia's Internet regulator, days after creating a controversy over its claims of Malaysian women offering themselves as "sugar babies". Sugarbook had claimed last week that some 12,705 students from 10 institutions of higher learning in the Klang Valley, including two public universities, were currently registered with the platform.
Online Dating Market is Worth $35.7M in Mexico
EXPLICA – Feb 15 – The market for online dating services is expected to generate $ 3.2B in global revenue by the end of 2021. The estimate for Mexico is $ 35.7M, according to Statista. In 2020, 5.2M Mexicans confessed to having used an app service to find a partner. The most popular app is Tinder. Last March, 723K people downloaded Tinder compared to 299K in February.