Online Dating, what you need to know

Online dating applications, or Online Dating or “love by wire”, is nothing new in the modern world. People have been found in this way for decades, and many of them are happily married today, have offspring and are unashamed of their actions in their younger and even older days.

Is it a shame to find a partner this way? Of course not, especially in the modern world we live in today. People buy a variety of things online, from clothes, shoes, cosmetics, food, cars… So, why not look for a soulmate?

You may be wondering who uses these applications or sites, and how many people are on one of the Dating Sites every day. You will be surprised by the results of the research. What you will read means that there is certainly someone in your immediate environment who has visited this kind of content at least once, and don’t be surprised if one of your friends, acquaintances or even relatives got married with the help of modern technology. But he is silent about it and does not speak a word.

The numbers speak for themselves

This time, we took the USA as a reference territory. Why America? It is spacious enough, has a sufficient number of people, different races, orientation and other important characteristics to be able to be called a representative sample for examination. So what do the numbers say?

Nearly a third of American adults, 30% to be precise, admitted to using dating sites. Most online visitors to Dating Sites say their overall experience is positive. You need to be realistic and understand some want to abuse such services, so there are cases in which especially younger women reported that someone showered them with explicit messages. But fortunately, this is not such a common cause.

How was the research conducted?

02 online dating

Detailed and precise research takes many times. In this case, it lasted a full year and included a representative and numerous sample sufficient to assess far more serious and complex research, we can freely say of national importance.

The study took into account the changing nature of romantic relationships and the role of digital technology in the way people meet potential partners on web platforms, Dating Sites. This research focuses on patterns, experiences, and attitudes related to online socializing in America. Following all legal regulations and regulations, as well as the obligations arising from the law on personal protection and personal data, adult citizens, including members of the LGBT population, were taken into account. The analysis program is designed and designed so that the total error does not exceed two percentage points.

Research results

03 online dating

From personal ads that began appearing in print around 1,700, to services via VHS videotapes that appeared decades ago, platforms that people use to search for partners have evolved throughout history. This evolution has continued with the rise of dating sites and mobile applications.

Today, three out of ten adults in the USA confirm they used to use a dating website, and 11% have done so in the last year. For some Americans, these platforms have been of great importance in establishing meaningful connections:

Specifically, 12% say they got married or were in a relationship when they first met through a website or dating app. About a quarter of Americans (23%) say they once went on a date with someone they first met through a website or app.

Previous studies on Online Dating show that the proportion of Americans who have used these platforms, as well as the proportion who have found a spouse or partner through them, has increased over time. In 2013, 11% of adults in the U.S. said they had once used a dating site or app, while only three per cent said they had entered into a long-term relationship or marriage with someone they first met online. As time went on, the data obtained also changed. Note that the survey is conducted very often, not to mention on an annual basis. Nonetheless, websites and mobile apps are playing an increasing role in Online Dating.

Recent research shows that online dating is especially popular among certain groups, young adults and those who identify as LGBT. About half of adults aged 18 to 29 (48%) and LGBT adults (55%) said they used a dating website or app, while about 20% in each group said they were married or in a community with someone they first met through these platforms!

Americans who have used Online Dating have different views regarding the time spent on these platforms. In a broader sense, Internet dating participants describe their overall experience of using these platforms in a positive rather than a negative sense. In addition, most Internet dating users say it was easy for them to find people for whom they are physically attractive, share common interests or who looked like someone they would like to meet and be intimate with.

04 online dating

Online dating has not only influenced more traditional ways of meeting a partner, but it also comes at a time when norms and behaviours related to marriage and cohabitation are also changing as more people postpone marriage or decide to stay alone.

Such situations have sparked a wider debate about the impact of Internet dating on romantic relationships in America. On the one hand, some emphasize the ease and efficiency of using these partner search platforms, as well as the ability to expand partner dating beyond their traditional social and territorial circles. Others offer less flattering experiences of online dating – some people are convinced that these platforms facilitate superficial relationships, unmeaningful ones. Whether that is true or not, opinions are divided. After all, some people are looking for fun and not a serious relationship. Just like in traditional ways of dating, only in the case of Online Dating it is clearly and transparently stated, so the potential partner can more easily and painlessly find out what the potential partner expects from him.

This research shows the public is ambiguous about the overall impact of online dating. Half of Americans believe that partner-finding and relationship websites have had neither positive nor negative impact on dating and relationships, while a smaller proportion thinks their impact is either mostly positive (22%) or mostly negative (26%). The “negatives” state that Online Dating is losing the romance of seduction. But times change and with them everything else that makes up life.

Major discoveries

Younger adults, as well as those who identify as LGBT, are more likely to use websites or dating apps. About 30% of Americans say they once used a dating site or app. Around 18% say they are currently using them, while an additional 17% say they are not currently using them, but have used them in the past year. As many as a quarter state that they intend to indulge in all the charms of Online Dating, and as the main reason for that they state the lack of time and excessive obligations at work.

Experience with internet dating varies depending on the age of the respondents. While 48% of people aged 18 to 29 say they have used a dating or app site in the past, that share is 38% among people aged 30 to 49, and even lower among people over 50. Still, online dating isn’t entirely foreign to those in their fifties or sixties; 19% of adults aged 50 to 64 say they have used a dating website or app. As time goes on, the number of elderly people who become digitally literate grow and replace their loneliness with a virtual search for a partner with whom they will spend the rest of their lives. Thus, there is also a group of people over the age of 80 who are active on Online Dating sites. For some, perhaps an astonishing figure -13%!

Different demographic groups tend to experience online dating similarly. But there are some significant exceptions. For example, students are more likely to say their experience with Online Dating websites, or applications are very or somewhat positive than those with a high school diploma (63% vs. 47%).

05 online dating

Among Online Dating users, women are more likely than men to say that it was less difficult to find people who were physically attracted to them (36% vs. 21%), while men, rather than women, expressed that it was difficult to find people who shared their hobbies and interests (41% vs. 30%). Is this different from the traditional finding of a partner? Hardly!

When asked if they received too many, insufficient, or the right number of messages on websites or dating apps, 43% of Americans who have gone online in the past five years say they haven’t received enough messages, while 17% say they’ve received too many messages. Exactly of them, 40% believe the number of messages received was approximately sufficient.

There are significant gender differences in the amount of attention they receive on dating sites or apps. Men who have been online more than women in the last five years feel as if they have not received enough messages (57% vs. 24%). On the other hand, online women five times more than men in this period think that too many messages were sent to them (30% vs. 6%).

Respondents were also asked about their experience in receiving messages from people of interest to them. For example, 61% of men who have had Internet relationships in the last five years say they have not received enough messages from people interested in them, compared to 44% of women who say so.

Users widely believe insincerity is one of the main problems on these platforms. The majority of users (71%) say that people on these platforms know how to improve the real situation to look more attractive, while another 25% think that it is somehow common.

LGBT Population and Online Dating

06 online dating

The likelihood of encountering this behaviour on dating platforms also varies with sexual orientation. About 56% of LGBT users say someone sent them a sexually explicit message or image on a dating website or app that they did not ask for, compared to about one-third of direct users (32%). The LGBT population is also more likely to receive these messages from straight users.

Facts About The Online Dating Industry

A study on the popularity of online dating and how singles want to meet, found that seven out of 10 couples found themselves online, not in real life. As many as 75% of singles choose to seek happiness on the Dating Site. On average, someone who is in the status of a single parent only approaches someone when he is interested, and that in real life once in 30 months. Only three out of 10 singles said that in real life, someone approached them in the last three months.

Calculations show couples who meet online get married on average after 18.5 months. Couples who do not meet online, on the other hand, wait an average of 42 months before getting married. The data also states the economic side, more precisely the cost-effectiveness of Online Dating – During the week, an average of $130 is needed for meetings, outings, meals, drinks and tickets for events, which is a total of $23,660 per year for couples who find themselves “live.” In an old-fashioned way. On the other hand, online dating, meetings and all the accompanying expenses reach a gross of $12,803. If the couple shares the bills, that’s about $6,400 in savings before marriage. So, Online Dating also has its economic advantages.

What is the future of Online Dating?

The Online Dating industry is facing some retention and inclusion challenges, but partner-finding websites are becoming more creative in constantly improving the user experience. So, users get far more than before, and compared to the classic ways, it has become immeasurable.

Connecting over the Internet and offline with real-life experiences, such as events and marketing campaigns, has become an important strategy for many dating sites. It is not uncommon for a company that does this kind of business to occasionally organize rallies for its members. In one night in a bar, people meet about 20 colleagues to find their ideal partner and they are chosen to go on a luxurious vacation together.

It is estimated that Online Dating in the USA alone is currently worth about a billion dollars. And only from membership fees or paid VIP messages. No marketing. And websites with this content are also interesting to marketing companies because, in the USA alone, about five million people can be found on these sites at any given time. And where is the rest of the world?

Online Dating is especially popular in the age of a pandemic because it does not require as much physical contact and going out as it is implied in the classic way of finding a partner. So, it is also healthier, safer and more acceptable.

Subscribe To Our Local Dating UK Newsletter