ads who use internet dating online

Five content marketing examples from dating sites and apps. As online dating services become increasingly popular – with 15% of all American adults reportedly having used one – these sites are cleverly tapping into customer demand. While some larger dating sites rely on television or PPC advertising, good old fashioned content marketing remains a great way to attract a clientele. OKCupid. The original incarnation – OKTrends – was run by the company’s co-founder, Christian Rudder, who used his mathematical background to set the tone of the blog. Essentially, he turned statistics and user data into fascinating articles, generating huge interest from online readers in general – not just those using its main dating service. Since being acquired by Match.com the blog has changed, however data and insight from the dating community remains at the heart of its content. It also regularly posts larger features, designed to poke fun at the perils of modern dating. One recent example is the amusing ‘Dictionary for the Modern Dater’, found on its Medium blog. Managing to steer clear of the clichés of online dating, it uses relatable humour to engage and entertain readers. Match.com. Match.com is another site that uses data to inform its content, largely for its annual ‘Singles in America’ study, which surveys over 5,000 US singletons to create informative and in-depth infographics and blog posts. Last year, the ‘Clooney Effect’ was one of the most successful pieces of content to arise, subsequently being picked up by a number of high profile publishers such as Glamour and Business Insider. Stemming from the statistic that 87% of men would date a woman who made ‘considerably more money’ than them (like Clooney and his highly successful wife, Amal Alamuddin) – it built on themes of positivity and empowerment to generate interest. With a reported 38% increase in traffic around the period the study was published, the results speak for themselves. eHarmony. With a helpful and thoughtful tone of voice, it aims to stem the fears and general stigmas that surround online dating, using advice-based articles to drive registration on the main site. While some have labelled its style of content as patronising, one area where eHarmony undeniably succeeds is in user-generated content. The ‘success stories’ page of its website is littered with positive reinforcement, cleverly breaking down content into various categories to target a wide range of demographics and backgrounds. Tinder. In just two short years, Tinder acquired more than 50m users – a feat that can perhaps be put down to its shrewd use of third-party integration. By enabling users to sign up with their Facebook login, it cleverly cuts through the frustrations of traditional dating websites, encouraging a younger audience to download and use the app. Unsurprisingly, Tinder is also one of the best examples of how to use social media to engage users. Not only does it integrate social on its app (now allowing users to cherry-pick the Instagram photos that they would like to show on their profile) it also populates its own social media with interesting, humorous and decidedly tongue-in-cheek content. For example, its Facebook page continuously drives interest. Last year, a Valentine’s Day post generated over 58,000 likes, 9,600 shares, and 2,900 comments – coming out on top in terms of engagement for online dating sites. Hinge. Dating app, Hinge, has turned its back on ‘swipe culture’, recently introducing a subscription-based model to help users cultivate meaningful connections. Features of the app, unlike Tinder, are also designed to resonate on a deeper level. For example, users are required to ‘heart’ specific parts of another’s profile such as the book they’re currently reading or their go-to karaoke song. Using a seasonal theme alongside a message of gratitude – it was a clever example of how to use content to reinforce brand values and reignite user interest. Online Dating Statistics (2021) - Who Uses Online Dating More?

Dating can sometimes be a troublesome area of our lives. For something that should give us great joy, dating can be a perilous journey for many until we find the one. In the past, some people have found it difficult to meet someone using traditional routes. More and more, therefore, we are using online dating sites and apps to further our romantic lives and our success there. But has the huge growth in online dating sites and apps actually helped us be more successful in our love lives? How many of us who have ever used a dating site as a way to meet someone, have met someone that we have started a serious relationship with? Has the increased usage of dating sites and apps simply improved the quantity we date as opposed to the quality?

Here in this article, we look at online dating statistics and what users say about their success with using online date sites to help their love lives. We investigate what online daters say about any relationship that they have started online. We ask if they say they have ever found true love and whether they like someone seriously through the use of online dating sites and apps. Online Dating Statistics By Year. It goes without saying that the use of dating sites or apps has increased and that there are more and more online dating users looking to start a relationship with men or women around the world. Below, we look at the exact number of online dating users in the US between 2017 and the projected usage up to 2024. While the rate of growth slows down, we can see that over 7 years, from 2017, there are going to be an extra 10 million people using online dating platforms as a way to meet someone. That’s a huge increase. That’s just under a 50% increase in under a decade - and that’s without knowing what the technology will be like in 2024 too. If you consider that apps like Tinder were established less than 10 years ago, who knows how we will use a dating site or app 4-5 years in the future. More and more dating sites or apps will use our online information to target us so that we make more efficient use of the online dating experience. That’s not to mention that more and more dating sites and apps will be established that fill more and more holes in the market. People are increasingly more open about their sexual orientation and sexual preferences. This gives dating sites and apps more scope to focus on specific sections of the population. Online Dating Demographics in the US. So what are the sections of the population that have used a dating site or app? It perhaps goes without saying that more and more people have online dated, but who are the biggest users exactly?

And more importantly, what percentage of those have ever married or been in a committed relationship with someone they met on a dating site or app? In the below graph, we see that just under a third of the US population have ever used a dating site or app. That’s a huge section of our society that makes use of the internet to find someone to start a relationship with. Plus, over 10% of the population have met their other half online. While that doesn’t sound like a huge amount, if you consider that every 10th person you meet has had a successful online dating experience, that’s a lot. The types of people that use online dating platforms also produce a lot of interesting online dating statistics too. While the race of those using online dating users is broadly equal, as well as the usage by gender being about equal, the LGB community is the far more prevalent online dating users. Interestingly, it is this section of the population that has the greatest number of successful relationships, too, when it comes to meeting someone online. Over 20% of their relationships that began through an online dating site or app went on to end in marriage or at least become a committed long term relationship. Another way to categorize online daters is to see what age range they fall into. The biggest users in that respect, by far, are those in their twenties. Almost half of those that have ever used a dating site fall into this bracket. And almost 20% of them have found themselves in a committed relationship as a result or even marriage. By Gender. Even a different study by YouGov confirms the differences between men and women when it comes to using online dating sites. While the figures are not exactly the same as those found above, YouGov found that almost 40 percent of all men have used online dating as a way to find a partner online. Conversely, that is in the face of 70% of women saying that they have never used a dating site. Female users and online daters, according to YouGov, only make up 27% of the population. By Region/Location. Breaking down online daters and online website users into where they come from in the USA also generates some enlightening online dating statistics. There are some apps that are used by perhaps predictably larger amounts of the population in certain regions simply down to the natural makeup of the public - like 69.7% of all the users of Black People Meet being from the South, or 50.7% of all users of Coffee Meets Bagel being from the West. However, eHarmony sees most of its users, at 58.4%, coming from the South and only 10.1% of them coming from the Midwest. That is a huge proportion of their users that come from just one area. By Age. As briefly alluded to from our first graph, the younger generations seem to be the main users of online dating sites and apps. According to YouGov, it is almost half of the population of 18-34-year-olds in the US that say they have ever used a dating site or app. However, that is in stark comparison to 81% of all the people aged over 55 who say they have never used a dating website. By Sexual Orientation. By far the biggest stand out dating statistics studies, that see who has ever used a dating website, highlights that the huge section of society that have logged onto a dating site or app are members of the LGB community. In one of our first graphs above, we can see that 55% of all people who say they have ever used a dating site or app are not straight. This could be because it still remains easier to find other members of the LGB community online, so this could be set to change with more and more people far more open about their sexuality. Platforms Used In Online Dating. So now we know what type of people have used online dating platforms, what online dating statistics are generated if we look at what platforms are the most popular?

While some online dating statistics vary in some findings, there is a particular area that seems to stand out across any study. The resounding answer is that Tinder seems to be the most used by far. According to Survey Monkey, over a quarter of all online daters, use Tinder as their app of choice. Tinder statistics are perhaps not surprising - it is so well known and the ease of use within the app is undoubtedly a reason why it has been so successful. Other well-used sites are Bumble, Plenty of Fish and OKCupid. What Online Daters Look For First In The Profile. Sadly there are no hard statistics that will prove what online daters look for first in the profile of either female users or male users. All men and women will typically look for something different in many online profiles. However, if you use online dating as a way to meet men or women for romantic purposes, there are a number of things that can improve your chances of striking up a connection with someone. Firstly, it can be a great idea to ask your friends for help. This is something that statistics won’t often show, but friends will know you really well and suggest ways to put your best characteristics forward. These could well be traits that you would have otherwise overlooked. Also, they’ll help you avoid any cliches that can work against you in a profile. Cliches often have the effect on making people roll their eyes when they read many online dating profiles. It’s also a good idea to remain as honest as possible but also using a really positive and optimistic tone. Statistics do show that people in general - if they use online dating or not - are all drawn to those that tend to be happier. There seem to be no statistics that prove which interests or hobbies larger sections of the population are drawn to over others. Finally, in terms of photos, again there are no hard statistics that have an overriding direction on what we should all use online dating profile dating-wise. Presumably, this is because it points towards how we all have highly diverging wants and needs in a partner. With honesty in mind, it is better in the long run to use an up-to-date photo. Some statistics say that action shots get the most hits but some statistics argue that photographic portraits are the best for use online. Intent When Dating Online. It is all very well looking at online dating statistics in terms of demographics, but before users decide whether dating sites or apps will be useful for their purposes, they need to know what other users intend when they sign up to online dating platforms. So what are the reasons people use online dating? Is it really to find a lifetime partner?

Or is it more often than not only ever used to find a sexual partner? Kaspersky did some work on generating online dating statistics behind why both male users and female users sign up to online dating sites. Some of their findings were quite surprising. While the majority of people did admit that they have used a dating site simply for fun, a large proportion of people use them to find friends, too. The next largest reason is perhaps an intention that sits somewhere in between finding friends and just having a good time - around a quarter of all users or online daters users say they sign up to sites or apps to have a good time with an interesting person. There are, of course, people who use it with the more commonly believed stereotypical intentions in mind. Almost 20% of the men asked say they use online dating for sex, while only 5% of women admit that this is what they have ever used online dating sites for. However, in terms of people using online dating sites or apps to find a serious relationship or marriage partner, men still were the biggest group to admit to using them for this intention. For example, 20% of all male users admitted they online dated to find a partner, while 12% said they used it for marriage. With respect to female users and women, 17% of this demographic admitted to using online dating sites or apps for a serious relationship and 10% for marriage. This is perhaps surprising - many people would imagine that it is women who used online dating as a means to find a committed partner. Is Online Dating Safe?

Dating online in the main remains safe. If you use online dating as a way to meet other female users or other male users, you will be totally secure as long as you follow a few recommendations to maintain your safety at all times. These measures protect two parts of your life - both physically if you ever meet someone you have contacted online and also your online data. Both are crucial to keep secure so that you do not fall victim to any crimes. With respect to your online data, it is imperative that you secure your networks and your devices. This means using strong passwords and password management systems to ensure that your devices cannot be hacked into. Secondly, ensure that you are always using a secure network. If you are in your home, protect your own network by using a password - again with the help of a password management system - and if you are out, ensure that you either do not divulge any passwords over the network you're using or any sensitive data. This means you never tell the people you are contacting your address, your bank account details or any other unique identifiers that can work towards a picture that helps an online criminal commit identity theft. Secondly, ensure you do not become part of another horrible set of statistics as a person that has an ill-fated meeting with a person they have met online. Both men and women are both capable of falling victim to someone who says they are someone they are not. There are some men and women out there that use online dating sites to meet others with wrongful intentions. To ensure that you protect yourself against these men or women when you use online dating, try to meet them in public places up until you are sure they are safe. Always tell others where you are going and who you are meeting too so that they know your movements in advance. All these things will work towards maintaining your safety at all times. Other Concerns On Online Dating. With the rise of internet dating, there has also been a rise in how people abuse the system of online dating sites and apps. As such there are, quite rightly, a number of concerns the public has when they are dating online and meeting other men and women through the use of the internet. In fact, 63% of all online daters say that they worry about their handset or computer being infected by a hacker’s virus, malware or spyware. The implications of this are large and can have a material impact on a user's life if hackers do in fact manage to get their illegal software installed on users' handsets and networks. Additionally, 61% of all online daters say that they are scared of their data being stolen from their chosen dating site or app in a data breach. Many more concerns continue along the same vein with a similar portion of all users admitting their worry. Additionally, there are some other more physical worries and concerns that users say prey on their minds. Some male users and female users of a dating site or app say that they worry about meeting up with someone in real life who is not who they say they are. From there, users either are anxious that at best the person they eventually meet has simply lied about their physical appearance or worse that they are a criminal seeking out vulnerable people to attack in either a physical or psychological way. How Long Does It Take Before People Start Giving Out Personal Information? Given all the pitfalls that can happen from being too relaxed about giving out your personal information over a dating site or app, many people do try to hold back on what they say about themselves. This can be counter-productive, however, when you are trying to meet someone online, so how long does it take before online daters start giving out personal information. The general statistics from Kaspersky found that there was broadly a fairly balanced approach to how long divulging details take. For some, it takes more than several months, yet for others, it takes just minutes or hours. More specifically, 19% of both female users and male users that have ever used a dating site or app say that it takes more than several months for them to give out information. Breaking down these online statistics further, a quarter of all female users take more than several months to give out information. Yet 13% of the same group of online daters say that they have given out some sensitive information in just minutes. Within that group, it is the male users who are more likely to give out information, with 16% of them admitting to telling someone important information about themselves quickly. How Many People Lie On Their Profile?

Arguably, a big bugbear about the statistics behind online dating is the lying that takes place on someone’s profile. But in this day and age, where we all use online dating far more and it is so much more accepted by our culture, how many users lie on their profile?

Looking at the statistics, the biggest proportion of users that lie on their profile tend to be those in their late 30s to mid-40s. Of that group, the ones most likely to lie are male. They say that they do this for fun, though it is not clear what they lie about to get their kicks from. Other interesting statistics are that younger women or men, in the 16 -24 age group are likely to lie on their profile to protect themselves. It is female users in this group particularly that are most prone to do this. Finally, one very interesting set of online statistics comes from those that want to use online dating as a way to meet people, but they lie as they are afraid that they will be recognized by others that they know already. Given the growing acceptance of online dating and the increased usage and success that it breeds in relationships, it is a little surprising that 15% of male and female users asked in the Kaspersky dating online statistics study, claim that they lie so they are not spotted by friends. Plus, broadly speaking, this is a reason that is common across all age groups and both genders. Younger women are just as likely as older men to lie on their profile to stop themselves from being recognized by friends or acquaintances. How Many Get Replied To? Finding out the statistics behind how many messages or online dating profiles get responded to is a tricky business because online dating websites don’t want to inadvertently promote the failure rate of their sites. While they can be very successful, a lot of people still have to go through a lot of rejections or radio silence from people they message. Bearing this lack of statistics in mind, it is good to take a more qualitative approach to improve your hit rate if you are struggling to make a match. Ensure that you are actually messaging people that say they are into someone with your character or physical traits. If you message someone who has specifically said that they want their prospective men or women partners to be a certain age or height, then you can’t expect to have a reply from them if you are not within these parameters. It is, therefore, recommended that if you use online dating, wherever you are in the world to be as honest as possible. If you like someone, you would be crushed to find out that they were not who they say they were after you continued to contact them. You, therefore, need to have a similar approach to the men and women you contact when you use online dating as a means to meet people. That respect for their wants will go a long way. Negative Interactions On Online Dating. There are a couple of categories of downsides to online dating. The obvious is that the relationship started after using an online dating site is not what they wanted it to be. By far, women are the biggest of the online dating statistics that have found themselves to be on the receiving end of negative behavior, like being contacted continually after asking not to be. According to the statistics, some have even been subjected to being sent sexually explicit texts or images when they were not asked for. Sadly, a large portion has been called offensive names and just over 10% have been threatened physically. That is not to say that only female online daters say they have experienced this type of behavior. A large percentage of male users found in our statistics say that they have been subjected to the same sorts of actions from the users they have interacted with. While this seems to be a huge downside to online dating, it is possible to argue that this would happen in the realms of dating that started in more traditional routes too. Bearing that in mind, it is important to also be aware of a downside to online dating that cannot occur when meeting potential partners in more traditional ways. Being the victim of identity theft is a huge problem with online dating, and online dating statistics have shown that the technical or data leak problems that have come about due to the use of online dating are substantial. For example, 12% of people who don’t use online dating have been infected with a virus online or with malware. This increases to a massive 29% when someone has continued to contact dates through an online dating site or app. These statistics are quite stark. Another large increase can be seen when users are asked to share private or sensitive details. 13% of people who have online dated share such details, while only 3% who have never used a dating site have suffered the same mishap. Downsides Of Online Dating. There are a number of downsides to the use of online dating - a few of which we have mentioned here already which a number of statistics and studies have emphasized. One of the biggest downsides is when you meet someone who has different intentions to you for the results they want to see from using dating websites and apps. This can mean that you may want to meet men or women that want just sex after they contact a person they have met online, while you were actually signing up to a site's service to start relationships. Other downsides include meeting someone who is not who they say they are. This lying can have small or large ramifications. It could be that the men or women you have been messaging are simply lying about their height or true hair color. However, it could also be that the men or women you are messaging are wrongful intentions behind meeting others online. They may be using websites as a means to find their victims for their sex crimes or other physical abuse, or they may be trying to meet others who are vulnerable so that their financial status can be taken advantage of. Finally, sadly the statistics show that being a victim of online crime is also a possibility when you use online dating as a means to meet other men or women. The reason being is that you are more likely to divulge sensitive information to a person you believe you can trust. Online criminals around the world sometimes use online dating websites as a way to build up that trust with naive members of the public. Their tactics can be very underhand and sophisticated so that some do not even notice that they are providing the person at the other end of the internet connection with sensitive data. Plus many statistics show that too many of us are guilty of not using strict or stringent enough security measures while we are online. This means protecting our devices with passwords and ensuring that our accounts in whatever apps or dating websites we use are protected with strong passwords too. Importantly these passwords all need to be different and it also helps if we all use antivirus software to protect against any infections that hackers may spread through dating websites or apps. Success Rate In Online Dating (Ended Up Together) Many members of the public who are considering online dating will be interested in the statistics of the success rate in online dating. In a study conducted by Statista, it was found that 17% of online daters have ended up in a long term relationship after meeting someone online. Additionally, it was found that almost a third of all asked knew someone who had met their partner online. However, 40% of those asked in this statistics study asked said that they did not know anyone who had successfully met a partner through a dating site or app. Realistically, this means that this is fairly evenly balanced or distributed in the investigation’s findings. While potential online daters may have wanted better-looking statistics, it may be a good idea to bear in mind what the answers would have been if the question had asked if people knew any men or women who had ended up in a long term relationship established via more traditional means. It is important to bear in mind that not every couple stands the test of time when they meet in a bar, through friends or at college. Do The Compatibility Algorithms Work? It is hard to answer whether compatibility algorithms really work as there are too many variables to create a scenario where there is a fair test involved. The reality of the situation behind online dating is that, as it increases your chances of dating at all, you are more likely to hook up with someone - arguably that could be the algorithm working or simply your increased dating that has helped. How Do People Protect Themselves When Dating Online?

Perhaps one of the less thought about online dating statistics is how to stay safe while dating online. Yet, it is incredibly important for us all to do this so that when we meet someone, we know we are going to meet someone who has been telling us the truth. While some people may tell the odd white lie about their height or other parts of their appearance, some people lie about their true intentions of being on a dating site in the first place. Their intentions may not be honorable, and it is those users that you have to protect yourself against. To ensure that they stay safe online, there are a number of practices that both male users and female users can and do use. A large portion of men and women search their potential partner’s name online as well as looking at their social media profiles to ensure they are who they say they are. Worryingly, however, almost a quarter of all users do nothing at all to ensure that they are safe when they use online dating. The above actions tend to be ones that you can carry out when you have met a match online. However, if you have ever used a dating site, there are a number of things you can do to maintain your online security too. This means that you do not leave yourself vulnerable to being the victim of online fraud by hackers or online criminals that take advantage of learning about sensitive information through dating profiles. Bearing this in mind, over a third of all users, employ the use of strong passwords while online and about a third also share very limited information over an internet connection. Ensuring that antivirus software is installed on their handheld devices and computers is also a popular option as well as making sure that apps do not have full access to contacts and social media accounts. This is so that online criminals cannot get access to your sensitive information over an internet connection and get hold of your sensitive data to help them commit identity theft. Dating VS Online Dating. Ultimately, a lot of us who are tempted to start online dating don’t sign up as we are unsure as to whether it is successful. eHarmony, one of the first online dating sites, conducted studies to find out where couples meet. They found that a fifth of all couples now meet through online dating. While the majority of couples meet through a friend given that over half of all relationships start in this way, it is still a large portion of all relationships that start due to an online dating experience. Why Do People Prefer Online Dating?

There are many reasons that people prefer online dating than relying on friends to set them up with a potential partner or simply meeting in a bar or club. Many users say that many online websites and apps simply connect them with other single people in a far more efficient process than leaving it to find a mate down more traditional routes. It possibly can improve the chances of success too. This is thanks to more and more niche sites and apps connecting more like-minded people and finding more like-minded people too. While meetings through friends can increase your chances of meeting people like you, a website can do this in a far quicker and more efficient way. It has huge databases of potential partners that have already admitted to having similar likes to yours. Do You Save By Dating Online?

Arguably, there are two elements of your life where you will save by using websites to meet others for relationships. You can save time and money by meeting other guys or women through an internet connection on a specialized website because you are meant to be increasing your chances of meeting others with the same intentions in mind. Online dating is now incredibly common. According to the statistics, in the US for example, around 30% of the population have used a website to meet other people online. It can be hard to put exact numbers and statistics on which dating site has the highest success rate as dating websites around the world are likely to try to skew the statistics and underlying data when asked. However, if you are choosing websites purely on their success rate, it is beneficial to either choose a very popular one so as to increase your chances of meeting anyone - or to use one that has a niche that interests you. Again this will increase your success rate of finding someone to love. The statistics behind the success rate of online dating around vary slightly according to the studies you look at. Plus, some studies can be skewed by what type of users are asked and what those users say about their experiences. However, it is fair to say that online dating can at least increase your chances of dating men or women in the first instance, and so the likelihood of meeting someone you may start a serious partnership with is therefore increased. That being said, in some studies, it has been shown that around half the US population knows at least someone who is in a couple thanks to meeting their significant other online. According to a Stanford sociologist, meeting a person through the means of the internet is the most popular method of meeting someone romantically around the world. Within the US, the same investigation found that it was how most heterosexual partnerships started. Advertising On Dating Apps Broken Down In 7 Statistics. 7 Top Dating App Advertising Statistics That Will Guarantee A Swipe-Right On Your Next Campaign. Dating apps are the definition of modern love. Where people once cast their nets far and wide looking for romance, dating apps have scooped up and hand-delivered romantic connections for everyone’s convenience. The convenience of online dating paired with the universal pursuit of love has made dating websites and apps extremely popular platforms with large user bases and plenty of marketing opportunities. We’ve compiled the most important statistics on dating apps and online dating, including online dating demographics, attitudes, and advertising opportunities. A study conducted by Pew Research estimates that 15% of U.S. adults have used online dating sites and mobile dating apps. Three years prior to the study, only 9% of Americans were looking for connections through websites and apps. Online dating has become a destination for people looking for positive changes in their lives. As the number of single people grows and the popularity of online dating rises, advertisers could benefit from marketing on online dating platforms. 2. 59% of Americans have positive attitudes toward online dating. In 2005, only 44% of U.S. adults thought that online dating was a good way to meet people. By 2015, online dating was more culturally acceptable, with 59% of Americans believing that it was a viable way to meet potential partners. Additionally, negative attitudes toward online dating are declining, albeit more slowly than positive attitudes are growing. In 2005, nearly one-third of Americans believed that those who used online dating services were desperate. Ten years later, that belief is held by less than one-fourth of the population. The decreasing stigma surrounding online dating will lead to increased adoption and new opportunities for marketers. 3. 90 minutes are spent by an average user each day on the largest dating app, Tinder. Tinder, the largest mobile dating app, processes 1 billion swipes and 12 million matches per day, globally. Tinder users are very active, opening the app an average of 11 times a day. Women spend an average of 8.5 minutes per session and men spend an average of 7.2 minutes per session. In total, a person could be spending 90 minutes a day in the app. That much time in-app is a powerful asset that digital marketers can use to their advantage. 4. Online dating is most popular with adults under 25 and adults in their 50’s. The number of 18-24-year-olds who using online dating has more tripled since 2013 when just 10% of the age group was using an online dating site. Two years later, that number grew to 27%. Substantial growth is likely attributed to changing attitudes as well as the widespread use of mobile dating apps. In 2013, only 5% of 18-24-year-olds used mobile dating apps. Now, over 22% have reported using dating apps on mobile. This has significant implications for marketers who are looking to target today’s largest consumer groups: Millennials and Generation Z. Online dating is growing in popularity among adults over 50, too. For individuals between the ages 55 and 64, online dating usage has doubled from 6% and 12% between 2013 to 2015. Online dating for adults ages 45-54 also increased 5%. Understanding which demographics use online dating services will help marketers target audiences more precisely. 5. 22% of online dating app users have asked others to look at their profile. Online dating apps don’t just attract the eyes of those looking for romantic partners. Profiles are also viewed by users’ close friends who are keen to give advice. Approximately 22% of online daters have asked someone else to review their profile. As such, dating apps represent a great way for brands to reach multiple people through a single screen. 6. More than 90% of Match Group’s 59M monthly users are not paying members. Match Group is the global leader in online dating, owning sites and apps such as Tinder, Match.com, and OkCupid.com. Of Match Group’s 59 million total monthly users, o nly 5.5 million are paying members. This means that 90% of Match Group’s users will be exposed to advertisements between swipes and connections on the free versions of its platforms. Marketers can place advertisements in dating apps with confidence that the ads will be seen by a large audience. 7. 2 out of 3 gay couples meet online. Online dating is immensely successfully. In fact, studies have found that two out of three gay couples likely met online. For straight couples, that number is closer to 1 in every 4 couples. The efficacy of dating apps suggests that online dating is here to stay, and may even gradually replace traditional avenues for finding romance. This presents an interesting possibility for marketers to tie their brands to the pursuit of finding love. Dating Apps & Advertising: Should You Swipe Right or Left? Happy Valentine’s Day! Or, Single Awareness Day depending on your current relationship status. But, TBH Valentine’s Day is truly the most important day in February. Thank you Leslie Knope. The dating scene has completely changed in the last few years. Gone are the days of meeting a handsome stranger at the bar or being set-up on a blind date. Now, my dating life is dependent on swiping left or right. I once swore to never embrace the ever-growing online dating scene. Thought it was something for older generations. I value meeting somebody in person, where you can immediately determine if there is any interest before committing. However, for better or worse, I have caved. After being bombarded by constant advertising for online dating sites, such as Match and eHarmony and increasing presence of dating apps in my friends’ lives; I decided to take the plunge. How do you know which app is best suited for you and will get you the best results? This is when advertising comes into play. The popular dating app, Hinge, created a campaign just to differentiate itself from the competition to showcase its value to someone like me. The “Let’s Be Real” campaign used Hinge’s questionnaire feature, a tool that allows users to answer questions about themselves, which is then used to find a connection, all to showcase their matchmaking abilities. A consistent concern for those who use online dating apps is being catfished. The term is pinned from a documentary about a man who forms an online relationship with a woman who happens to be a different person than he is led to believe. This documentary and an MTV series about the topic has made it a staple term in pop culture. Bumble, a dating app with a feminist spin, implemented a facial recognition software to help prevent this. To promote this feature, they launched the “The Great Catch” campaign. Bumble placed a food truck that served catfish on busy intersections in NYC. Customers were told to download the Bumble app and show it to workers before eating. Copy on the food truck read, “Catfish just got served.” OkCupid recently rebranded with their “DTF” campaign. Embracing the millennial tendency to shorten any phrase into an acronym. OkCupid took a phrase that is meant for one thing and redefined it for something completely different. The vibrant campaign also took advantage of the political landscape, with some ads reading, “DTFight about the president,” or “DTFilter out the Far Right.” Besides using advertising to promote themselves, some of these apps are utilizing advertising within their respective app. Of course, this is a separate way for the app to make a profit without relying solely on paid subscriptions by users. Brands that have taken advantage of this new advertising landscape consist of beer, wine and spirits, travel/tourism, retail, condoms and even networks to promote upcoming shows. These adverts aren’t just placed at the bottom of your screen in a banner ad format. If you use Tinder regularly, you may notice that ads have implemented mini “profiles” giving the user the option to swipe left or right. Like any brand, dating apps, I believe, have the potential to utilize advertising in great ways. Especially for someone like me who may have some skepticism about the online dating world and what value it can hold for me. 11 Types of Men Drawn to Internet Dating. Some men use the Internet to find relationships. Others use it to run from them. For this article, I used experiences that women shared me about online dating to describe 11 types of heterosexual men who are drawn to Internet dating. I realize, as do you, that there are infinite varieties of men who engage in online dating for infinite reasons. Many more could be included on this list, and some men may fit into many categories. Still, in the world of online dating, some types seem more prevalent than others. Here are 11 categories of men you might encounter when dating online: He fantasizes about a beautiful love life or sex life but has too much anxiety to actually let any potential connection leave his protective computer screen. He’s just not ready to involve himself in real-time dating with people he may connect with online. There are many reasons why this happens, but at the core, he is not ready or able to begin a substantive relationship, regardless of what his profile says. Rather, he moves from one online connection to the next, or back and forth between many, and he barely, if ever, leaves the house. Internet dating enables him not to engage in a meaningful way. When he needs connection or the fantasy of a relationship, he can effectively “order out” for a date. By avoiding actual human contact he isn’t forced to push his boundaries or risk challenging the perfection of his fantasy woman with the experience of a real-life woman. For many reasons, it is difficult for him to make room for something real. This primarily 20 to mid 30's guy is excited about the possibility of expanding his horizons and meeting new people. He is bold, tolerant, open, and ready to explore what online dating has to offer. Because Internet dating has been a part of his generational experience, he is more comfortable with it as a normal mode of communication and meeting people, and is generally more open to the process and experience. Therefore, when he connects and makes plans online, he likely follows through, sometimes sooner, sometimes later. Either way, unlike the first type listed, he has probably had more positive than negative dating experiences overall, so he may be open right away or over time to a committed, authentic relationship. However, given his age and other potential factors such as how easily distracted he is, once he discovers just how many choices he has online, he may become less interested in committing and more interested in continuing to look around. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a fun couple of months, look no further. And it's possible it could expand even further. He believes that older women “know what they want.” He is typically 20 to mid '30s and he wants older women often because he believes that they have much to teach him sexually, and this prospect excites him. He realizes that the easiest way to access older women is online. He is typically at the age of sexual discovery and imagines that older women are not only more experienced and enticing, but more available as well. This can be a difficult and provocative situation for all parties involved, so proceed with caution. Most assumptions about how you and he will conduct your relationship are not as straightforward and as they may initially seem. He is looking to avoid being alone after a heart-wrenching breakup. Sometimes he will admit to the women he finds online that he is using Internet dating as a diversion, and sometimes he won’t. However, with patience and fortitude, there may be the possibility that a substantive relationship can develop. After all, he has experienced love before, which is why he’s so heartbroken now, and why you encountered him online. However, it is equally possible for him to remain non-committal when he is still hung up on someone else, so proceed with caution. Either way, these scenarios may take a long time to play out. He wants to know what else is out there, but won’t necessarily act on it. Or maybe he will. Either way, he is not planning to leave his current relationship, but feels like he is missing out on something. Or perhaps something pivotal is missing in his relationship, and he wants to be reminded or reassured there is life beyond his current confines. Regardless, this is not a man who can offer a serious, consistent relationship. Internet dating is an outlet for him and he is not planning to leave his partner anytime soon, if ever. How many profiles do you see that list things like amazing communication, amazing sex, must be in perfect shape as relationship must-haves?

And how many of these criteria do you think are the direct result of the relationship he just came from? More than finding a partner who will meet all of his hopes and dreams, he wants everything he has longed for but couldn’t have in previous relationships. (This category may also include the desire to act out sexual fantasies and fetishes that couldn’t previously be realized). Interestingly, fantasy can be so powerful for him that when reality fails to compete, he finds ways to fade away. However, it may be possible for him to shift from fantasy to reality now or over time as he realizes he has to make some concessions if he wants to have a real partner. He is typically older, in his 50s, 60s, or even 70s, and is set on meeting and dating women significantly younger than he is, so he shaves years off his life in his profile, even in his "current" pictures. He may be very well meaning and truly believe that once he meets these young women they will be so drawn to him that the deception won’t matter, and the age difference will be rendered irrelevant. However, starting a relationship with a lie—now matter how “harmless” it may seem to him—takes away from the woman’s ability to use her own discretion and decision-making power and therefore erodes trust. When she inevitably finds out, she typically finds the age difference and the lie far more jarring than he had anticipated. The longer he continues the lie, the worse the discovery is. Relationships that start by duping a partner don't end well. This is the former Ivy League rower, now a neurosurgeon who has chosen the Internet to meet women who are likely on their own tight timelines. He expects to meet other busy people and have a romance that is incredibly hot and connected. for the 30 minutes every week that work for him. While he may be quite enticing because of how active and on top of his career he is, he has difficulty converting online dating into a substantive experience. Often, his routines are crucial to him so he may fight with himself to make room in his life for a partner. If his tight schedule fits your own timeline or you’re okay squeezing the relationship into small chunks, that’s great (and it does have the possibility to evolve). But be aware of how often he uses being too busy to avoid real-world connections, because it can be easy to get caught up and strung along in this situation. For many of these men, work, routines or even children may offset any sense of urgency or commitment to engage in the messy process of real-life dating. Earlier in life, he may have been intimidated by girls, but he has always been smart and ambitious. Despite his interest in girls when he was younger, it rarely if ever worked out. re enough, later in life, his ambition came to fruition—he became successful and got used to getting what he wants. He is typically in his late 30s through early 50s and may be divorced or single. Either way, he has come to realize that—to his surprise—he can now have most women he sets his sites on, and he hasn’t gotten over his good luck. Now he feels like a kid in a candy store. This may be the man that, just as online communication begins, asks if you’re naked. Since he is used to getting things done quickly and directly in his professional life, and getting the girl now comes much more easily to him, he may not understand why he should have to jump through the hoops of flirtation, courtship, and romance to achieve what he might view as a mutually agreed upon situation. Make sure that to the best of your ability, you know what you want moving forward, as he may not be ready to commit any time soon, if ever. He dislikes women and looks for opportunities to shame or control them, typically as a response to painful previous experiences in his own life, or because his wiring is totally awry. Beware: He is not easily detectable at times. He is not in control of himself and therefore looks to control others through any method he can. If you come across him, don't engage. He is looking for his partner in love and in life. Maybe sincerity comes with a little baggage, but so what? He is realistic in his expectations and is serious about being in a relationship. He is genuine and is not typically sidetracked by the number of choices available to him, once he has found you. The question now is: Are you ready?

Before starting a relationship with him, consider your own motivations for online dating. It can be a frustrating, even painful process to encounter many of these types of online daters. But keep in mind these men may have become jaded and wary too, due to their own challenging online dating experiences. It’s much easier to be flaky and noncommittal online—for both you and for your dates—and that is in part why these categories exist in the first place. Without an in-person connection, the person on the other screen doesn’t seem “real” and that can enable both men and women to use online dating to gratify their own needs without regard for the person they have attracted. However, despite these categories and the challenges of online dating, if you continue to act with authentic reciprocity, it’s likely that you’ll find the same in return. Meeting online has become the most popular way U.S. couples connect, Stanford sociologist finds. Matchmaking is now done primarily by algorithms, according to new research from Stanford sociologist Michael Rosenfeld. His new study shows that most heterosexual couples today meet online. Algorithms, and not friends and family, are now the go-to matchmaker for people looking for love, Stanford sociologist Michael Rosenfeld has found. In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Rosenfeld found that heterosexual couples are more likely to meet a romantic partner online than through personal contacts and connections. Since 1940, traditional ways of meeting partners – through family, in church and in the neighborhood – have all been in decline, Rosenfeld said. Rosenfeld, a lead author on the research and a professor of sociology in the School of Humanities and Sciences, drew on a nationally representative 2017 survey of American adults and found that about 39 percent of heterosexual couples reported meeting their partner online, compared to 22 percent in 2009. Sonia Hausen, a graduate student in sociology, was a co-author of the paper and contributed to the research. Meeting a significant other online has replaced meeting through friends. People trust the new dating technology more and more, and the stigma of meeting online seems to have worn off. In 2009, when I last researched how people find their significant others, most people were still using a friend as an intermediary to meet their partners. Back then, if people used online websites, they still turned to friends for help setting up their profile page. Friends also helped screen potential romantic interests. I was surprised at how much online dating has displaced the help of friends in meeting a romantic partner. Our previous thinking was that the role of friends in dating would never be displaced. But it seems like online dating is displacing it. That’s an important development in people’s relationship with technology. There are two core technological innovations that have each elevated online dating. The first innovation was the birth of the graphical World Wide Web around 1995. There had been a trickle of online dating in the old text-based bulletin board systems prior to 1995, but the graphical web put pictures and search at the forefront of the internet. Pictures and search appear to have added a lot to the internet dating experience. The second core innovation is the spectacular rise of the smart phone in the 2010s. The rise of the smart phone took internet dating off the desktop and put it in everyone’s pocket, all the time. Also, the online dating systems have much larger pools of potential partners compared to the number of people your mother knows, or the number of people your best friend knows. Dating websites have enormous advantages of scale. Even if most of the people in the pool are not to your taste, a larger choice set makes it more likely you can find someone who suits you. When it comes to single people looking for romantic partners, the online dating technology is only a good thing, in my view. It seems to me that it’s a basic human need to find someone else to partner with and if technology is helping that, then it’s doing something useful. The decline of meeting partners through family isn’t a sign that people don’t need their family anymore. It’s just a sign that romantic partnership is taking place later in life. In addition, in our study we found that the success of a relationship did not depend on whether the people met online or not. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how you met your significant other, the relationship takes a life of its own after the initial meeting. I think that internet dating is a modest positive addition to our world. It is generating interaction between people that we otherwise wouldn’t have. People who have in the past had trouble finding a potential partner benefit the most from the broader choice set provided by the dating apps. Internet dating has the potential to serve people who were ill-served by family, friends and work. One group of people who was ill-served was the LGBTQ+ community. So the rate of gay couples meeting online is much higher than for heterosexual couples. The landscape of dating is just one aspect of our lives that is being affected by technology. And I always had a natural interest in how new technology was overturning the way we build our relationships. I was curious how couples meet and how has it changed over time. But no one has looked too deeply into that question, so I decided to research it myself. On the Internet. On the Internet. New E-Scams & Warnings. To report potential e-scams, please go the Internet Crime Complaint Center and file a report. Note: The FBI does not send mass e-mails to private citizens about cyber scams, so if you received an e-mail that claims to be from the FBI Director or other top official, it is most likely a scam. Internet Fraud. How to Protect Your Computer. The same advice parents might deliver to young drivers on their first solo journey applies to everyone who wants to navigate safely online. A special agent in our Cyber Division offered the following: “Don’t drive in bad neighborhoods.” “If you don’t lock your car, it’s vulnerable; if you don’t secure your computer, it’s vulnerable.” “Reduce your vulnerability, and you reduce the threat.” Keep Your Firewall Turned On. A firewall helps protect your computer from hackers who might try to gain access to crash it, delete information, or even steal passwords or other sensitive information. Software firewalls are widely recommended for single computers. The software is prepackaged on some operating systems or can be purchased for individual computers. For multiple networked computers, hardware routers typically provide firewall protection. Install or Update Your Antivirus Software. Antivirus software is designed to prevent malicious software programs from embedding on your computer. If it detects malicious code, like a virus or a worm, it works to disarm or remove it. Viruses can infect computers without users’ knowledge. Most types of antivirus software can be set up to update automatically. Install or Update Your Antispyware Technology. Spyware is just what it sounds like—software that is surreptitiously installed on your computer to let others peer into your activities on the computer. Some spyware collects information about you without your consent or produces unwanted pop-up ads on your web browser. Some operating systems offer free spyware protection, and inexpensive software is readily available for download on the Internet or at your local computer store. Be wary of ads on the Internet offering downloadable antispyware—in some cases these products may be fake and may actually contain spyware or other malicious code. It’s like buying groceries—shop where you trust. Keep Your Operating System Up to Date. Computer operating systems are periodically updated to stay in tune with technology requirements and to fix security holes. Be sure to install the updates to ensure your computer has the latest protection. Be Careful What You Download. Carelessly downloading e-mail attachments can circumvent even the most vigilant anti-virus software. Never open an e-mail attachment from someone you don’t know, and be wary of forwarded attachments from people you do know. They may have unwittingly advanced malicious code. Turn Off Your Computer. With the growth of high-speed Internet connections, many opt to leave their computers on and ready for action. The downside is that being “always on” renders computers more susceptible. Beyond firewall protection, which is designed to fend off unwanted attacks, turning the computer off effectively severs an attacker’s connection—be it spyware or a botnet that employs your computer’s resources to reach out to other unwitting users. Risk of Peer-to-Peer Systems. The FBI is educating and warning citizens about certain risks and dangers associated with the use of Peer-to-Peer systems on the Internet. While the FBI supports and encourages the development of new technologies, we also recognize that technology can be misused for illicit and, in some cases, criminal purposes. Peer-to-Peer networks allow users connected to the Internet to link their computers with other computers around the world. These networks are established for the purpose of sharing files. Typically, users of Peer-to-Peer networks install free software on their computers which allows them (1) to find and download files located on another Peer-to-Peer user's hard drive, and (2) to share with those other users files located on their own computer. Unfortunately sometimes these information-sharing systems have been used to engage in illegal activity. Some of the most common crimes associated with Peer-to-Peer networks are the following: Copyright Infringement: It is a violation of federal law to distribute copyrighted music, movies, software, games, and other works without authorization. There are important national economic consequences associated with such theft. The FBI has asked industry associations and companies that are particularly concerned with intellectual property theft to report to the FBI—for possible criminal investigation and prosecution—anyone that they have reason to believe is violating federal copyright law. Child Exploitation and Obscenity: The receipt or distribution of child pornography and unlawful obscenity over the Internet also is a serious federal crime. The FBI cautions parents and guardians that, because there is no age restriction for the use of Peer-to-Peer services, pornography of all types is easily accessible by the many young children whose parents mistakenly believe they are only accessing music or movies. In fact, children may be exposed to pornography—and subsequently lured by sexual predators—even though they were not searching for pornography, as some network users deliberately mislabel the names of files for this purpose. Computer Hacking: Peer-to-Peer networks also have been abused by hackers. Because these systems potentially expose your computer and files to millions of other users on the network, they also expose your computer to worms and viruses. In fact, some worms have been specifically written to spread by popular Peer-to-Peer networks. Also, if Peer-to-Peer software is not properly configured, you may be unknowingly opening up the contents of your entire hard drive for others to see and download your private information.

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