Category: OkCupid

Dating Trends Experts Are Predicting for 2022

Posted on December 13, 2021

Dating apps12BUSTLE – It's been hard to separate the pandemic and dating over the last couple of years. However, some of the biggest dating apps have big predictions for 2022. "If 2020 was the year of reflection, 2021 has been a year of discovery and we expect to see that continue into the new year," said Naomi Walkland, Head of Bumble UK and Ireland.

Top UK Dating Trends
In 2022 Pre-first date video calls became the norm. The Inner Circle has said that this is one way that app users can work out if they have a connection with someone. Experts at Dating.com agreed, arguing that audio and video dating will redefine how we date in 2022, with 90% of users saying they plan on doing it in the new year. And Tinder said that video dates have been mentioned 52% more times in people's dating profiles. Being vaccinated (or not) will continue to play a big role in dating in 2022. While 2021 may have been the year of hardballing, 2022 is going to be the year where daters hold nothing back. OKCupid has identified a 17% increase in BDSM terms in users profiles and there's been a 125% increase in users saying they wanted children.

by Alice Broster
See full article at Bustle

OkCupid Data Reveals Top Dating Trends

Posted on December 3, 2021

OkCupid 2022 dating trendsOKCUPID BLOG – Here are the top 10 dating trends you can expect to see in 2022: the year of exploration in dating.

  • More Singles Will Be Looking for a Match to Start a Family With – At the beginning of 2021, we saw a 125%+ increase in users saying they wanted children.
  • Daters Will Explore Their Sexuality – Since the end of last year, we’ve seen a ~10% increase in users identifying as pansexual. Also a 250% increase in users identifying as bisexual compared to last year, and 29% increase in users identifying as non-binary.
  • Kink Will Be Even More of a Thing – Each year OkCupid sees the taboo around kink and BDSM lessening. Daters are more open to it, and more vocal. In 2021, users saying they're kinky is up 55%: "BDSM" mentions in female profiles is up 17%.
  • Money Will Matter Less – The likelihood of a single saying wealth is very important in a match nearly doubled during the pandemic. However, if we continue to see employment increase in 2022 we will see this number decrease.
  • There Will Be More Open Relationships – Monogamy isn't out, but non-monogamy is definitely in. The majority of OkCupid daters seek monogamous relationships. In 2021 users seeking non-monogamous relationships increased 7%, and mentions of "non-monogamy" and "throuple" in profiles is up 21%.
  • Politics Will Be the Biggest Dealbreaker – Political terms are up 10% increase in profiles.
  • Safe Sex Will Be Hotter Than Ever – There's been a 16% decrease in singles who say they never or rarely discuss STD status, also a ~10% increase in singles who say they get tested.
  • Divorced Singles Will Be Getting Back Out There – Since 2017, there's been a ~300% increase in profiles mentioning being recently divorced.
  • Sober Dating Will Become Increasingly Popular – Over the past 5 years, daters have become 2x less likely to say that a date being sober was a dealbreaker. In the past month there's been a ~10% increase in terms such as "sobriety" and "sober dating" in OkCupid profiles.
  • 2022 Will Kick Off With a Huge Boost for Dating! – Historically, we've seen up to a 70% increase in user activity the first dating Sunday of the year.

See full article at OkCupid blog

Mark Brooks: OkCupid does a great job of bubbling up these kinds of numbers and analysis. Kudos to OKCupid for pulling back the veil.

Tinder and Match Asking Users to Urge Senators to Pass Violence Against Women Act

Posted on November 17, 2021

Reauthorize the VAWATHE HILL – Match, Tinder, OkCupid, BLK, Chispa and Plenty of Fish, all of which are part of Match Group, have prompted their users to send an email to their senators "with one click," urging them to support the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. The Violence Against Women Act, originally enacted in 1994, lapsed in 2019 and has not been reauthorized since. The bill would provide grants to state and local governments for programs addressing domestic abuse, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking, in addition to further narrowing the so-called boyfriend loophole to prohibit dating partners convicted of domestic violence or abuse from buying or owning guns. Current law only restricts gun purchases for spouses or formerly married partners who were convicted of abuse or are under a restraining order.

by Mychael Schnell
See full article at The Hill

See the top news on Match Group

How Do the Best Dating Algorithms Work?

Posted on October 11, 2021

Online dating algorithms picMASHABLE – Tinder: The Tinder algorithm used to be based on the Elo rating system, which was originally designed to rank chess players. The "Elo score" gauges how other profiles interacted with yours. It logged your swipes. Elo is no longer used. Now, the most important thing a user can do is…use the app. The more data Tinder has on you, the more Tinder knows your preferences and the algorithm is based on how your profile is Liked or Noped.

Hinge: The dating app "designed to be deleted" doesn't have swiping. Hinge uses the Gale-Shapley algorithm. This Nobel-prize winning algorithm was created to find optimal pairs in "trades" that money can't buy – like organ donations. Say there are 10 women and 10 men. How do they get paired up? Well, tell one group (either the men or women) to pick their first choice, and if they get rejected they move on to their second choice. Continue until none of the people left want to get matched anymore. Tell the app when you've met a match in person and Hinge understands who you're interested in.

OkCupid: OkCupid has 4k questions. There's 60 sexual orientation and gender options. OkCupid calculates a match percentage. If another user has similar search preferences and responses to questions as you, and is looking for the same things relationship-wise, you'll have a high match percentage.

Bumble: Bumble is similar to Tinder in that it uses a swipe model. Bumble declined to comment about its search algorithm.

Grindr: Grindr only uses algorithms for security purposes, like detecting spam accounts. There's no recommendation algorithm to speak of on Grindr today.

by Anna Iovine
See full article at Mashable

Mark Brooks: Frankly, I'm surprised at the lack of substance here. Our job is to bring clarity to a complex problem. Who to date? Who to marry? Who to raise a family with? (…and perhaps guide people further on how not to screw it up). This is not an unsolvable problem, but it is highly nuanced. Culture, religion, values, and lifestyle preferences compound the problem. Also, what people say they want and what they are willing to accept can be quite different. i.e. stated preferences vs revealed preferences. Observing people's behaviors and getting feedback after each date is key. Also, we really need to know when we have been successful. When we have clear visibility on this, at scale, then AI becomes useful for helping us solve for long-term compatibility.

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OkCupid Introduces Feature in Support of Abortion Rights

Posted on September 21, 2021

OkCupid pro choice badgeNEW YORK TIMES – OkCupid has introduced a way for users to clearly indicate their support of abortion rights: a "pro-choice" badge that appears prominently in a dating profile. The feature was created in response to the passage of Senate Bill 8, which has made abortion illegal in Texas. For every profile that adds the badge, OkCupid will donate $1 to Planned Parenthood. In recent years, OkCupid has offered users different badges to signal their stance on various political issues, including a "Black Lives Matter" badge and a "Voter" badge. In May, the company added an "I'm Vaccinated" badge.

by Valeriya Safronova
See full article at New York Times

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In Online Dating, Being an Entrepreneur Is an Advantage

Posted on August 24, 2021

Okcupid logo 2021INC – Aug 24 – According to data from OkCupid, more people have been proudly owning the title "entrepreneur" while looking for love online this past year, says Melissa Hobley, the company's global CMO. And for some, it's a clear advantage. From July 2020 to July 2021, use of the terms "entrepreneur" and "self-employed" in the US OkCupid profiles increased by 10%. And users who identify themselves as entrepreneurs in their profiles have a better chance of getting a match's phone number, according to the company.

by Sophie Downes
See full article at INC

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OkCupid Survey: 65% Indian Daters Choose Freedom Over Money

Posted on August 16, 2021

Okcupid logo 2021IANS – Aug 14 – OkCupid asked its users what they find most liberating, and data collected based on users' responses to in-app questions suggests that 39% of users find financial freedom to be the most liberating, closely followed by 'Travel' (30%), 'Sexuality' (22%) and 'Art' (9 %). When posed with a choice between 'Freedom' and 'Money', 65% of users opted for more freedom.

See full article at Telangana Today

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Podcast: OKCupid Offers 22 Gender Options

Posted on August 13, 2021

ADWEEK – Aug 12 – After 12 years of experience in the New York dating scene and now married with children, Melissa Hobley is currently in 32 different dating apps. She is the current Global Chief Marketing Officer for OKCupid, so she must keep a close eye on what the digital dating landscape looks like. Melissa talks about their latest campaign, “For Every Single Person,” which celebrates the app’s inclusion-minded functions, such as the 22 genders and 12 orientations to select from within their profile.

by Julian Gamboa
See full article at AdWeek

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Evolving OkCupid in India

Posted on August 11, 2021

Okcupid logo 2021BUSINESS INSIDER – Aug 11 – Virtual dates became an acceptable way of dating. In 2020 OKCupid rolled out its redesign globally called Stacks which is a new matching system that consolidates multiple discovery methods into one, making it even easier to find the type of person users are looking for.

Anukool Kumar is Marketing Director for OkCupid in India: We've seen women discovering their independence and extending that security to choosing relationships that see them as more than just a horoscope or radius of a roti. More women are opening conversations. The new Stacks discovery experience shows matches in a focused, thoughtful way, and gives daters the choice of dating 'online', 'recommended' (a stack of recommendations based on preferences), 'nearby', and 'match %'. Globally, there's been a 30% increase in messages sent. since 2020. OkCupid has 20 sexual orientations, 22 gender options and over 60 identities, making it truly inclusive.

by Samarpita Banerjee
See full article at Business Insider

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OkCupid Launches Campaign Embracing Inclusivity

Posted on August 4, 2021

OkCupid Every Single Person CampaignMOBILE MARKETING MAGAZINE – Aug 2 – OkCupid has teamed up with creative agency, Mekanism to release a campaign celebrating 'Every Single Person'. The campaign features highly colourful and contemporary ads by visual artist Maurizio Cattelan and photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari. A diverse range of models are used, alongside taglines including 'Every Single Non-Binary' and 'Every Single Tree Hugger'.

by Gabby Fernie
See full article at Mobile Marketing Magazine

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