DAILYMAIL.CO.UK – Hinge CEO Justin McLeod denies the app uses an 'attractiveness score' for matchmaking, countering user complaints about unappealing matches. He explains that Hinge's algorithm is based on individual preferences derived from likes and rejections. Despite McLeod's assurances, some users remain skeptical, believing attractive matches are hidden behind a paywall. This dissatisfaction is amplified on social media, where users express frustration over their perceived unattractiveness due to the quality of their matches.
Category: Outlets – Daily Mail
The Number of Americans Meeting Their Spouses Online Has Surged 20% Over the Last Decade
Study: Online Daters Are ‘Addicted’ and the Majority Left Depressed
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK – Users of dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble and Hinge spend 55 minutes a day 'swiping', according to a new study by eHarmony which shows this is having a 'severe' impact on user mental health. 39% of users check the apps as soon as they wake in the morning, while 48% swipe just before bedtime. 70% of singletons feel anxious or depressed after using them. The research – carried out by eHarmony among 1K Britons – also found 44% of users want a casual hook-up while 27% of women use apps to get an ego boost.
Seeking.com Rebranded as an Elite Dating App
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK – Seeking describes itself as a place for 'successful and attractive' people to find a partner who 'meets their standards'. While Seeking is free to sign up to, it comes with a steep price if users want to message someone, costing as low as $100 a month and as high as $275. The website was first launched in 2006 by Brandon Wade, and it was originally started as a way for women to meet sugar daddies. It then underwent a rebranding to focus more on finding long term relationships, and it now has ~40M subscribers. Seeking does not have any requirements and anyone can join, unlike other exclusive dating apps like Raya, The League, and Lox Club, which require members to be invited or have strict applicant screening processes.
Reddi – a Dating App for People Who Are Ready to Have Children
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK – A performance coach who turned to solo IVF to have her son, after fearing she was running out of time to find the perfect partner, has used her experience to start a dating app for people wanting to start families. Reddi was launched in July and applicants are vetted thoroughly before being able to join. Stacy said: 'The app is just the start. We have big dreams about the future, creating both online and offline experiences for our members.
HelloTiger Is a New “Cat-Fish” Proofed Dating App
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK – Launched across Australia this week, HelloTiger is described as being 'cat-fish' proof because would-be couples are forced to talk over facetime for 60s before they can decide if they want to hear from each other again. The company's founder Chris Dutton says the app helps people 'cut to the chase' and takes the games and hesitation out of online dating. Users are expected to upload a new photo every week – and it can't be selected from their camera roll – it has to be taken on the spot.
Badoo: Younger Users Date Differently
Tinder’s Busiest Day Is on January 2nd
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK – Tinder has revealed that January 2nd 2022 will be its busiest day, and advises logging on from 7pm-10pm, as these are the peak hours. January 2nd is known as Dating Sunday. Following Dating Sunday, Tinder has revealed that members will soon be able to select from a series of '2022 Goals' within the Explore page.
MuddyMatches, a Dating Site That Matches Country Folk
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK – Muddy Matches is full of rugged types who fix tractors and keep chickens. Apparently, membership has rocketed since the pandemic began. Co-founder Lucy Grand, 42, says it's because people reconnected with the outdoors over lockdown – then started to move out of the towns and cities. Muddy Matches had a humble start. In the pub one night, Lucy and her sister Emma, who grew up on a farm, wondered how to meet someone given that they already knew everyone in their village.
by Lucy Cavendish
See full article at DailyMail
Former Tinder CEO Greg Blatt Valued Tinder at $12B in 2016
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK – Former Tinder CEO Greg Blatt is accused of intentionally lowballing the dating app's value in order to cheat employees out of billions of dollars in stock options. In 2016, he estimated Tinder's worth at $12B, far more than the $3B value projected the following year, according to internal emails. A group of former employees, including founder Sean Rad, will be using those emails from 2016 in an upcoming trial to try to prove Blatt intentionally lowballed the value in 2017, denying banks information they needed to make an accurate assessment. In August of this year, a Morgan Stanley analyst report valued Tinder at $42B. The defense says the so-called 'recruiting deck' in January 2016 was based on hypothetical numbers and is not at all the same as a third-party valuation. While the chart did say that Tinder could grow if certain conditions were met, those conditions had not been met by 2017, they argue.