I remember when I was in first grade. That’s when my friends and I crammed into a lumpy twin bed in our dorm, huddled around a single phone, swiping its hinges and huddled together.
That was my first foray into dating apps. It took a week and a few dead end chats before I deleted it.
After all, I’m never alone.
According to mobile app analysis firm AppsFlyer, 65% of dating apps downloaded in 2024 were deleted within one month. This year, that number rose to 69%, AppsFlyer said. fast company.
Dating apps have been a lifeline during the pandemic. Gen Z spent much of their formative years on Zoom, from high school to early college, and online dating was a natural extension of their lockdown lives.
Now, many young people want a love life outside the screen again.
Wendy Walsh, in-house dating and relationship expert at DatingAdvice.com and professor of psychology at California State University, Channel Islands, explains that this generation has lost at least two years of social learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
They are often afraid of talking on the phone or meeting in person, and dating apps designed to connect with strangers basically tap into their biggest fear.
However, young adults still lead the way in online dating. According to 2023 data from Pew Research, 53% of people under 30 have used a dating site or app, compared to 37% of adults between 30 and 49, 20% of those between 50 and 64, and 13% of those over 65.
Digital natives are swiping left on dating apps
Last week, I conducted an informal poll of six Syracuse University students in their 20s who requested anonymity. The main reason for this, as I discovered, was that people seemed embarrassed to use dating apps in the first place.
When I asked them for more details about their experience, I could feel their disappointment. One person noted that conversations on the app rarely progress beyond the text message stage. Another person said they prefer to meet people in person and use apps primarily for casual play.
Dating coach Grace Lee explained that college students often feel self-conscious about these platforms. “If you have any kind of social life, you don’t need it,” Lee says. She added that college life comes with high expectations of “going out,” so relying on dating apps can increase the feeling that there’s something “wrong” with you.
Most of the students I spoke to seemed reluctant to talk about how often they use the app, but those who admitted to using it regularly did so with obvious chagrin.
This frustration is by no means isolated. 2024 Forbes Health A study found that 79% of Gen Z users have some degree of fatigue with dating apps like Hinge, Tinder, and Bumble, spending vast amounts of time without finding a genuine connection.
Walsh says burnout comes from a “paradox of choice.” When you have too many options, your brain assigns less value to each option. People fall into algorithmic loopholes because they swipe endlessly, believing that they will always get something better with one swipe.
And the numbers back it up. A national survey by Kinsey Institute and DatingAdvice.com found that most Gen Zers want to meet someone offline, with 90.24% of respondents saying they prefer social gatherings, bookstores, classes, and clubs.
This generation, which values self-care and authenticity, feels that apps can’t provide the natural, low-effort glow they’re looking for.
Online dating is a big failure
Dating app burnout isn’t just a Gen Z problem. “Swipe fatigue” is hitting the entire online dating scene.
Match Group’s recent financial results highlight that shift. The parent company of Tinder, Hinge, Match.com, OkCupid and Plenty of Fish reported a weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue forecast, suggesting it’s having trouble converting casual users into paying members.
According to the company’s latest quarterly statistics, revenue was $914.3 million, up 2% from the same period last year, but “payers” decreased 5%.
Match Group stock (NASDAQ: MTCH) has struggled this year. As of Friday, it was down about 1.11% since the beginning of the year, compared with more than 15% growth for the Nasdaq Composite Index over the same period.
Tinder, once the company’s crown jewel, is reeling, with revenue down 3% year over year and paid users down 7% to 9.3 million.
Half of Tinder’s monthly active users are Gen Z, but with sign-up numbers declining, the company is scrambling to find new ways to keep younger users interested.
The students I spoke to had similar thoughts about Tinder.[It’s more for] The hookup culture is fine for new students, but now I’m looking for something more serious. ”
Match Group’s competitor Bumble hasn’t fared much better, reporting a 10% drop in revenue and laying off 30% of its employees earlier this year.
Yet, against all odds, Hinge holds firm. Gen Z makes up 56% of the user base, and the app reportedly saw a 17% increase in paid users. Focusing on strong prompts and intentional dating seems to work.
Spencer Rascoff, COO of Match Group, agreed at the Goldman Sachs conference, saying, “There’s a misconception that Gen Z doesn’t use dating apps. They do. Look at Hinge.”
Is betting on AI the right choice?
Tinder’s new non-automatic modes, such as Double Date and College Mode, have particularly resonated with younger users.
Double dates are gaining in popularity. 92% of users are under 30, and women who pair up are three times more likely to send a like and four times more likely to match than when they swipe solo. College mode, on the other hand, is currently used by one in four eligible student users.
Dating companies are now betting that AI capabilities will bring Gen Z back, but there’s a catch. Gen Z is actually more uncomfortable with AI than older generations.
Several students I spoke to expressed discomfort with AI, noting that it feels unnatural and undermines trust when it is introduced into the platform.
Justin Lehmiller, a social psychologist and senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute, said: fast company His research shows that most single adults don’t want AI near their intimate lives.
“This is a potential pitfall for some apps,” Lehmiller said. “[If] They’re trying to bring in more of this technology that a lot of people don’t really trust, but is that going to draw more people in or is it just going to keep pushing them away?”
A Bloomberg survey reflects this sentiment, finding that Gen Z balks at AI-generated biographies and messages and prefers authenticity.
How are major companies trying to attract Gen Z?
Tinder appears to be aware of the tension around its high-tech features. in a statement to fast companythe company said it was moving toward “low-pressure, authentic experiences” and moving away from “transactional” connections.
The app uses AI for security, photo selection, and safety prompts, but as Match Group leaders emphasize, the conversations never turn into “my bot texting your bot.”
Similarly, Bumble CTO Vivek Sagi says, “We want to harness the power of AI. Our goal is not to replace love and dating with technology. Our goal is to make human connections better and more compatible.”
Hinge also leans into AI, focusing on tools that help users without impersonating them. This includes features like instant feedback, a built-in AI tool called “Top Photo,” “Are You Sure?” message filter.
And that delicacy seems to be paying off. The students I spoke to weren’t even aware that AI was involved in their everyday swipes. And when I pointed it out, one student gasped and said, “I didn’t put two and two together!”
Hinge CEO Justin McLeod recently explained that generative AI is meant to support people, not replace them. “Reliability is very important,” he said.
And Gen Z seems to agree.
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