You could be the most extroverted person the world has ever known, and I would still place an absurdly large amount of money on the fact that meeting people post-college is incredibly difficult. The social framework of classes, intramural sports teams, varied interests clubs, and student government disappears the moment you shake your chancellor’s hand and take that facsimile of a diploma. If making friends after college is a challenge, finding a romantic relationship is even harder.
*Gets on PA system… “Mike, bring in the dating apps, please!”
Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Coffee Meets Bagel, JSwipe, The League, the list of dating applications available to the lustful public is insane. Choose any app and, though some nuances exist, all their user interfaces (UI) are the same. Depending on the preferred gender you indicate for your profile, the given app’s algorithm will show you photos of people and you can either swipe right or left. A “right” swipe indicates you fancy the individual in the photo on your screen, and hope they swipe right on your picture as well, resulting in a message created for the two of you to woo each other. When you swipe “left,” you recognize that person’s relative attractiveness but you are simply uninterested.
Call it vain or genius, it doesn’t matter. People swear by these dating apps. Match Group Inc (MTCH), the parent company of Match.com, Tinder, and several other independent brands, announced plans back in June to purchase a controlling stake in Hinge, Tinder’s rival in the app world. Unlike Tinder, known for its ability to create “hook-up” opportunities for people of all ages, Hinge’s platform uses more in-depth profiles meant to encourage relationships between users, rather than brief flings.
While this acquisition of sorts seemed like a profitable move for the Match Group (MTCH), the company’s shares took a turn several months later when Facebook (FB) announced plans to create its own dating application. Shares of Match Group Inc (MTCH) dropped 9.6% that day and the company’s CEO publicly commented on the matter:
“We’re flattered that Facebook is coming into our space — and sees the global opportunity that we do — as Tinder continues to skyrocket. We’re surprised at the timing given the amount of personal and sensitive data that comes with this territory….Facebook’s entry will only be invigorating to all of us.”
–Mandy Ginsberg, Chief Executive Officer, Match Group, Inc.
Ginsberg and Levin’s comment about Facebook’s (FB) timing and personal data were no doubt poised jabs at the social media giant, given its massive data breach during the Cambridge Analytica scandal that arose after the US Presidential Election in 2016. Regardless, Zuckerberg pressed onward.
The new matchmaking app powered by Facebook (FB) is called “Dating,” and as of Thursday, it’s being publicly tested in several countries including Canada, Thailand, and Colombia, according to Wired. It should be pointed out that Facebook’s (FB) venturing into the world of love does not feature a specialized app, but rather the function will be integrated into Facebook’s (FB) current platform. When Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the release of “dating” at the F8 conference back in May, he stressed several key components of the new project.
How To Fall In Love With Facebook (FB)
- Facebook users must “opt-in” to making their profile “active” for dating
- Users can only express interest in a maximum of 100 profiles per day
- Users can rsvp to Facebook events and see other users who have indicated they are single and ready to mingle
- Conversations initiated between users will be text only as a “safety measure”
Tech experts have expressed concern that Facebook’s (FB) new dating function will present privacy issues for its users, even if Zuckerberg said: “we have designed this with privacy and safety in mind from the beginning.”
“People will think there is a degree of insulation because they are deciding what goes into their (Dating) profile..but we have seen over and over again that those types of divides are difficult to maintain.”
–Tamir Israel, Lawyer, University of Ottawa, Canada
In my opinion, love can be found anywhere and people are willing to check every nook and cranny on this earth to find their special someone. I have no doubt Facebook (FB) users and Tinder/Bumble/Insert-Dating App-Here will try Zuckerberg’s new dating service.
