HOLLYWOOD REPORTER - July 22 - Dating in L.A. has always had a bad rap. "Particular to Hollywood are successful businessmen going home with anyone they want — and women getting paid to be pretty," says Talia Goldstein, professional matchmaker and founder of Three Day Rule. "This makes this town more superficial and brutal for the rest of us." Tinder has become part of the daily lexicon. Mark Brooks explains the app's popularity: "What's made it catch fire is that it's fun, and online dating can feel like work. It's brought new heat to the industry and is benefiting everyone," including Tinder president and co-founder Sean Rad, who met his girlfriend Alexa Dell on his own app. "What we've done," says Rad, "is take rejection out of dating." Online dating has seen the rise of the "virtual affair," a romance that ends the minute meeting becomes a reality. Brooks admits digital dating could improve: "We've taught people a new way to meet people. Now we have to teach them how to keep people. People need to reveal themselves more. The future is in combining digital dating with wearable tech, which will allow the sharing of certain personal data: what music you download, where you eat, where you travel." Video also will add authenticity, says dating coach Eric Resnick.
by Merle Ginsberg
See full article at The Hollywood Reporter