Online Personals Watch: News on the Online Dating Industry and Business

OkCupid Debuts ChatGPT-Generated Matching Questions

MASHABLE - The AI chatbot ChatGPT has had a chokehold on the internet since it debuted in Dec. 2022. Almost immediately, dating app users started using the service to write messages to matches. OkCupid has started experimenting with asking users matching questions generated by ChatGPT. The app's global head of communications Michael Kaye asked ChatGPT what questions to ask on a dating app and what questions to ask when dating, and here's what the chatbot replied:

• Are you more of an introvert or extrovert?
• Are you a morning or night person?
• What's your favorite way to spend a weekend?
• What do you value most in a partner?
• How do you know when to take a relationship to the next level?
• How do you balance your own needs with the needs of your partner in a relationship?

The questions have been answered more than 125,000 times and counting, and Gen Z is surely leading the charge. 31% of Gen Z daters on OkCupid don't think that using AI to create a profile or message others on dating apps is a violation of trust.

by Anna Iovine
See full article at Mashable

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Supporting Women's Rights Is a Top Priority for Female Daters

OKCUPID BLOG - Fifty years ago, on January 22nd, 1973, the United States Supreme Court legalized abortion in the landmark case of Roe v. Wade. But in June of last year, that landmark decision was overturned, bringing the topic of women's rights back to the forefront. An overwhelming majority of women on OkCupid (87%) are pro-choice. 49% of women on OkCupid say that a difference in opinion about abortion would make them think twice about dating someone.

See full article at OkCupid blog

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Hong Kong Watchdog Takes Swipe at Tinder's Age Based Fees

THE STANDARD - The Consumer Council claims Tinder has an "unfair" pricing mechanism that charges users an annual subscription according to age. The council registered accounts for users aged 18 to 68 with intervals of 10 years.  The highest fees are for 38-year-olds, followed by for 18-year-olds and 58-year-olds. The cheapest are for those whose ages are 28, 48 and 68. The app charges 38-year-old platinum account holders HK$1,318 annually, which is 42% higher than users from the lowest-priced group. The watchdog urged Tinder to make rectifications. The council also found dating apps reveal users' personal information for marketing and advertising after a trial of nine popular ones in Hong Kong between October and December. The nine tested were Bumble, Coffee Meets Bagel, Goodnight, Heymandi, OkCupid, Omi, Paktor, SweetRing and Tinder. All were found to have preset permission to use account owners' data, including name, gender, sexual orientation, date of birth, location, e-mail address and phone number for marketing or advertising. Only three apps allowed users to opt-out.  Age is not covered under Hong Kong's anti-discrimination laws, an Equal Opportunities Commission spokesman said.

by Eunice Lam
See full article at Teh Standard

Mark Brooks: Do you think Tinder, and nay, the industry at large, make rectifications? Is age-based pricing logical and justifiable, or just wholly unfair? Your comments, please.

OkCupid - the Global State of Digital Dating

OKCUPID BLOG - Being vulnerable is one of the more attractive traits to singles these days. 9 in 10 daters on OkCupid say they are sensitive. Men who say they are sensitive are receiving more likes and matches. Nearly all 1.6M respondents on OkCupid believe mental health is just as important as physical health. 97% of OkCupid respondents believe it's important to practice self-love. 30% (~8.5M singles) reveal they would be interested in an open relationship. 40% of people say that inflation is impacting their dating lives. The pandemic and rising costs of living accelerated the number of people being open to sober dates, but also sober relationships.

See full article at OkCupid Blog

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OkCupid's Global Head of Comms on Using Data

RAGAN - Michael Kaye is the global head of communications at OkCupid. He shared some of his thoughts on data in storytelling. "For me, communication is just as much about strategy as it is about execution," Kaye said. "I like taking a hands-on approach. That includes how I think about data when it comes to telling the OkCupid story." One of the first things he did upon joining the comms team was sit down with the data and analytics team and learn how they work. Kaye urges communicators to remember that data can come in all forms, not just numbers. OkCupid obtains much of its data in the form of worded answers. When someone joins the platform, they answer a series of questions that matches them with potential dates based on the compatibility of the answers. Kaye's incorporation of data across all aspects of his comms strategy is a reminder that there's always a story within the data. 70% of OkCupid's earned media coverage in the U.S. included data points from in-app questions.

by Sean Devlin
See full article at Ragan

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Tinder Turns 10: What Have We Learned From a Decade of Dating Apps?

THE GUARDIAN - A decade ago, online dating existed through sites such as match and OKCupid tended to attract older users, and had a stigma. Apps like Grindr (launched 2009), and Tinder (2012) radically changed online dating. Emily Witt, the author of Future Sex, a book that examines sex in the internet age, tells Nosheen Iqbal about the origin story of Tinder, meeting the founders, and why it was such an instant success. Dating apps have grown in response to a culture where people are single longer and a changing sexual morality that's open to different kinds of relationships.

Listen to the podcast here

by Nosheen Iqbal
See full article at The Guardian

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Soaring Prices Are Changing the Dating Game

BLOOMBERG - Surging prices are making it more expensive to wine and dine a love interest, causing daters to reassess their priorities. The consumer price index category for food away from home rose 7.7% YOY, while full-service restaurants climbed 8.9%. Among 3K users on Hinge, 41% said they were more concerned with the cost of dates now versus a year ago, with Gen Z respondents more likely to feel the pressure. "As a result, people are on the hunt for less expensive options," said Logan Ury, director of relationship science at Hinge.

Finding a person who is financially savvy is an increasingly attractive quality. OkCupid daters who said they keep a budget have received 16% more matches and 7% more likes over the past three months than those who said they don't.

by Paulina Cachero
See full article at Bloomberg

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OkCupid and Sweatcoin Data Shows Singles Are Prioritizing Health

OKCUPID BLOG - According to OkCupid and Sweatcoin, the move-to-earn app that rewards users' daily steps with a new-generation currency, daters are opting for healthier date ideas, from hikes to walks in the park. On OkCupid, 87% of 5M daters said they enjoy exercising - and daters who do enjoy breaking a sweat received 26% more matches and 8% more likes over the past few months. 80% of Gen Z and Millennial OkCupid respondents said health and wellness are as important as attraction and chemistry when it comes to a partner.

See full article at OkCupid blog

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Match Wants to Keep FTC Case Under Wraps

REUTERS - Match Group fights with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over the FTC's investigation of OKCupid which allegedly shared users' photos with Clarifai, a facial recognition company. The FTC investigation follows a 2019 New York Times article asserting that Clarifai built its database of faces with OkCupid user photos supplied by an OkCupid founder who was also a Clarifai investor. OkCupid and Match denied any commercial agreement with Clarifai, but in 2020, the FTC demanded documents from the companies about the alleged deal. After more than a year of battling, the FTC filed its petition, asking the court to order Match to turn over 136 disputed documents. Match responded a few days later with an emergency motion to seal everything. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon denied Match's motion to seal the entire docket but allowed Match's filings to remain under wraps temporarily. Match's lawyers appear to have renewed their push to litigate in secret in a sealed June 21 motion.

by Alison Frankel
See full article at Reuters

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How OKCupid Is Using Its App and Its Ads to Fight for Abortion Rights

DIGIDAY - The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn its landmark ruling on Roe vs. Wade has companies working through navigating how to address abortion rights, but OKCupid is already centering its marketing strategy around the topic. OKCupid sent in-app notifications to all U.S. users encouraging them to donate to Planned Parenthood. It also plans on supporting the organization's corporate day of action on July 13 by shutting down the app for several hours and encouraging users to join a "virtual walk-out." OKCupid first began partnering with Planned Parenthood in 2017 by creating a profile badge for users who want to show their support to the organization.

by Marty Swant
See full article at Digiday

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OkCupid: Culture of Inclusion Is Key to Innovation

BUSINESS INSIDER - OkCupid has offered more options for LGBTQ communities years before other dating apps. Marcus Lofthouse, its chief product officer, explains how he fosters inclusive innovation. The key is to foster safe spaces for employees and work with people from diverse backgrounds. "We have a historical legacy of being open," Lofthouse said. "We set the pace on things like LGBTQIA+ products and offerings. Other apps look to us."

by Marguerite Ward
See full article at Business Insider

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Match Faces Probe Over Dating Photos' Alleged Use in Database

BLOOMBERG LAW - Match Group is under pressure from the FTC to cooperate with an investigation into whether its OkCupid app illegally shared data with a facial recognition company. OkCupid has allegedly allowed Clarifai to use OkCupid profiles to train the facial recognition algorithm which could detect age, sex and race.

by Andrea Vittorio
See full article at Bloomberg Law

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OkCupid Wants to Show Users Who They're Compatible With

CNET - A new feature called Cupid's Picks will surface who users are more likely to match with every single day. The picks are refreshed daily as new people join the app or answer more questions on the platform.

by Erin Carson
See full article at CNet

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Dating Apps and Environmental Advocacy

DW - Dating apps like OkCupid, Bumble and Tinder have noticed more and more of their users mentioning climate issues on their profiles - and have integrated features to help them connect with each other. On Bumble, users can add badges to their bios as as a way of aligning with different causes. Tinder says that "climate protection" was one of the most mentioned phrases on German Gen Z members' bios last year. OkCupid has reinstated its climate change advocate badge, which was first rolled out in 2021 and is only available for April, Earth Month. When it was introduced last year ~400K people used the badge.

See full article at DW

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Petromasculinity Is the Leading Dealbreaker for Dating App Users, OKCupid Says

FORTUNE - New data from OKCupid shows that climate denial, also referred to as "petromasculinity," was the biggest deal-breaker for dating app users. Of 250K users surveyed worldwide by OKCupid, 90% of users said it was important for their match to care about climate change. Over the past three years, 6M users have been surveyed, and results show that 81% of users were concerned about climate change.

by Carmelia Chirinos
See full article at Fortune

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