When the author joined Match in 2007, it saved his life. Today, Tinder, Hinge, and other apps are exhausting, expensive, and manipulative.
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The Lede
Albert Fox Cahn has been on dating sites and apps for the past 17 years. Online dating not only allowed him to meet some of the most important people in his life but also let him learn that he could truly find love, something he long doubted was possible. Now, trudging through the apps feels draining.
Key Details
- After years of stagnation, the dating-app market went into a frenzy of growth, and by 2013, online dating was the most common way for straight couples to meet.
- With Tinder, Cahn's shift in dating psychology was almost immediate. Instead of laboring over lengthy replies to thoughtful profiles, he swiped on a whim.
- Ironically, as the apps get more common, they're getting less popular. And while dating companies have been raking in billions, more than $5 billion in 2023 alone, the growth is slowing.
