#onlinedating — Public Fediverse posts

Bumble Tried to Change Dating, but the Dating Market Forced It to Change Instead

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.wired.com/story/bumble-women-first-rule-change/

Angriffe über queere Datingplattformen

Junge Männer organisieren sich in Gruppen, um über queere Dating-Apps Gewalt auszuüben. Sie vernetzen sich etwa auf Discord-Servern und teilen Aufnahmen ihrer Taten - wie eine Recherche von team.recherche zeigt.

➡️ https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/fake-dates-angriffe-100.html?at_medium=mastodon&at_campaign=tagesschau.de

#OnlineDating #Queerfeindlichkeit

As online dating goes into ‘salvage mode’, can AI solve all its problems?
By Amelia Hill

Dating apps such as Bumble forced to adapt as ‘swipe fatigue’ grows

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/aug/14/online-dating-salvage-mode--ai-bumble-app

#Onlinedating #Dating #Apps #Internetsafety #Technology #Lifeandstyle #Worldnews #Business #AIartificialintelligence #TheGuardian #AmeliaHill

As online dating goes into ‘salvage mode’, can AI solve all its problems? https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/aug/14/online-dating-salvage-mode--ai-bumble-app #OnlineDating #Dating #Apps #InternetSafety #Technology #LifeAndStyle #WorldNews #Business #AiArtificialIntelligence

You’re Thinking About Online Trends All Wrong

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.wired.com/story/youre-thinking-about-online-trends-all-wrong/

DATE: August 9, 2026 at 04:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
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TITLE: Dating apps tend to encourage age similarity rather than diversity

URL: https://www.psypost.org/dating-apps-tend-to-encourage-age-similarity-rather-than-diversity/

People in same-sex relationships tend to partner with individuals who are different from them in age, race, and education more often than people in different-sex relationships do. A recent study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family suggests that dating apps do not entirely explain these demographic differences, even though same-sex couples are much more likely to meet online. Instead of encouraging people to date broadly outside their age group, online dating actually tends to bring together individuals who are closer in age.

Homogamy is a sociological term for the tendency of individuals to form romantic relationships with people who share similar social characteristics, such as race, educational background, and age. This pattern plays a major role in society by concentrating resources like wealth and education within certain households. Most previous research on partner selection has focused on heterosexual populations.

Jisu Park, a research scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, conducted the study to understand the mechanisms driving partner selection among different types of couples. Prior evidence indicates that same-sex couples exhibit lower levels of homogamy than different-sex couples. They are generally more likely to form partnerships with people of a different race, a different education level, or a notably different age.

Park explored whether the ways people meet might explain this gap. Sexual minority individuals often face smaller, more geographically scattered pools of potential partners in their daily lives. Because of this, they rely heavily on digital platforms. Online dating could theoretically reduce partner similarity by exposing users to a wider, more diverse pool of people. On the other hand, the detailed search filters and algorithms on dating apps might help users seek out partners who perfectly match their preferences, potentially increasing similarity.

To test these ideas, Park analyzed data from the 2017 How Couples Meet and Stay Together survey. The nationally representative sample included 3,292 English-speaking adults in the United States. Within this group, 2,994 respondents were in different-sex relationships and 298 were in same-sex relationships.

The survey provided information on whether the respondents met their current or most recent partner through an online dating platform. Park also measured whether the partners matched in three specific areas: race, educational attainment, and age. Age similarity was divided into three categories: a gap of zero to two years, a gap of three to five years, and a gap of six or more years. Statistical models accounted for several variables, including the respondent’s gender, employment status, household income, marital status, relationship length, age, race, and education.

The initial analysis highlighted demographic differences in how couples form. Nearly one-third of same-sex couples, about 31.9 percent, met their partner online. This compares to just 10.1 percent of different-sex couples.

Same-sex couples were also less similar to their partners across all three measured categories. About 30.2 percent of same-sex couples were in interracial relationships, compared to 19.9 percent of different-sex couples. Large age differences were also more common in these partnerships. Around 41.3 percent of individuals in same-sex relationships reported an age gap of six or more years, compared to 24.8 percent of people in different-sex relationships. Similar patterns emerged for educational differences, with same-sex couples having roughly 38.8 percent higher relative odds of partnering across different education levels.

When looking at whether online dating explained these gaps, Park found that digital platforms did not account for the differences in racial or educational matching between the two groups. Meeting online did not show a statistical association with whether couples shared the same race or education level on a broad scale.

However, online dating did play a role in age matching. Meeting a partner online was associated with roughly 37.4 percent lower odds of having an age gap of six or more years. Because same-sex couples are highly likely to meet online, and online dating tends to match people closer in age, digital platforms actually suppressed the overall age gap. If same-sex couples did not use dating apps at such high rates, their age differences would likely be even larger than what the data currently shows.

Park also looked at how online dating operates differently depending on the type of relationship. For same-sex couples, meeting online was associated with a higher probability of being in an interracial relationship. For different-sex couples, meeting online showed no such association with racial mixing. Regarding age, online platforms were linked to smaller age gaps for both types of couples, though the specific mathematical categories varied slightly between the groups.

The study relies on observational data, meaning it cannot confirm that online dating directly causes changes in partner preferences. It is possible that individuals who choose to use dating apps already possess different attitudes about dating outside their race or age group compared to people who meet partners in person. The specific features of dating apps, such as how profiles display age and education, might influence choices, but the available data cannot separate platform design from user preference.

The relatively small number of same-sex couples in the dataset limits the statistical power of the analysis. A smaller sample makes it harder to detect nuanced differences, such as variations between gay male and lesbian couples, who often exhibit different relationship patterns.

Future studies could examine how age and generational changes influence digital dating habits. Online dating has become much more normalized over the past two decades. People who grew up with dating apps might show different partner selection patterns compared to older generations who adopted the technology later in life. Additionally, exploring how different rates of relationship breakups affect the demographic makeup of long-term couples would provide a more complete picture of modern romance.

The study, “How I Met My Partner: Online Dating and the Homogamy Gap Between Same-Sex and Different-Sex Couples,” was authored by Jisu Park.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/dating-apps-tend-to-encourage-age-similarity-rather-than-diversity/

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Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #DatingApps #Homogamy #SameSexRelationships #AgeGap #OnlineDating #PartnerSelection #DiversityInDating #RomanticMatches #SocioDemographics #RelationshipResearch

Guy’s brutally honest breakup text goes viral and reminds everyone that ‘ghosting’ isn’t cool

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/ghosting-is-not-cool-breakup-text-ex1/

Content creator urges dating app users to stay cautious after alleged iPhone theft during meetup

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2026/08/05/317365/content-creator-dating-app-users-cautions-iphone-theft-meetup/

Was wäre Online-Dating nur ohne #Enshittification der Plattformen? 🥰
#Bumble #OnlineDating #Appzwang

People Are Ghosting Long-Term Partners. Some Don’t Regret It

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.wired.com/story/people-are-ghosting-long-term-partners-some-dont-regret-it/

PetaPixel: Tinder Pauses AI Photo Editing Tool After Woman Creeped Out By It. “Jeni Rubin tells NewsNation that she logged into the app for the first time in a month when she received a notification that Tinder’s ‘Photo Enhance’ feature had worked on one of her profile photos. Curious, Rubin took a look at the AI edit and was horrified by what she saw.”

PsyPost: New psychology research reveals the “Goldilocks rule” of online dating profiles. “In our recent research, we examined how the amount of information people disclose in dating profiles shapes a crucial judgment: Does this person seem to want casual sex or a committed relationship? We also asked whether that impression changes what viewers themselves want from the profile owner.”

Remember those more wholesome times when online dating profiles would include “open to dating someone with kids” or “open to dating outside my area code?” Now, it appears a high majority of people globally are open to dating an AI chatbot, raising the question of what kind of partners these humans make. The bots dished, Read more from @sciencefocus:

https://flip.it/.UvrGu

#Science #OnlineDating #AI

Feeld: Still Not Great

https://www.yourautisticlife.com/2026/07/14/feeld-still-not-great/

Talked to a friend who uses #onlineDating for #hookups. Honestly, to me that sounded like more work than it is worth. 😅

Gizmodo: Grindr Is the Latest Dating App to Hook Up With AI. “George Arison, who took over the role of chief executive at Grindr in 2022, is apparently all-in on AI—even when it goes against his employees’ wishes and likely his users’ best interests.”

Associated Press: AI chatbots are helping people communicate with dating partners. Here are some do’s and don’ts. “There’s understandable skepticism about the technology’s place in dating. Still, a growing number of people are turning to AI as a de facto dating coach or relationship expert. Some use the technology to get guidance on creating a dating app profile, decode messages from […]

Anti-Vax Dating Apps Are Going IRL. People Are Mad as Hell About It

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.wired.com/story/anti-vax-dating-apps-are-going-irl-people-are-mad-as-hell-about-it/

The dating apps that failed to deliver the joys of sex and romance now offer AI as cupid. No thanks | Tatum Hunter https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/01/dating-apps-failed-sex-romance-ai-cupid-swiping-bumble #OnlineDating #Apps #AiArtificialIntelligence #Dating #Technology #LifeAndStyle #Relationships #WorldNews

ABC 7: Dating app Bumble is ending swipe feature, introduces AI assistant for matchmaking. ‘The company said it is introducing an AI assistant called Bee as part of its matchmaking process. Bumble said the feature aims to give users a more personal way to connect on the platform. The company has also announced it will remove the swipe — a key feature of the app for users to express interest in […]

Bumble launches AI assistant to improve matchmaking and foster authentic connections on its platform as part of Bumble 2.0 update. #OnlineDating #AI

Found a useful AI dating assistant for anyone who gets stuck replying on dating apps: https://rizzai.ai/

RizzAI helps generate better replies, openers, rizz lines, and dating bio ideas. It’s best used as inspiration, then edited in your own voice.

#AI #DatingApps #RizzAI #OnlineDating

Survey suggests sexting is changing modern relationships

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://nerds.xyz/2026/05/sexting-modern-relationships-survey/

New Dating.com data suggests intelligence, emotional stability, and authenticity are reshaping modern dating preferences. https://hackernoon.com/nerdy-men-are-having-their-main-character-moment #onlinedating

‘Sick of swiping’: the dating event where your mates do the talking https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/02/date-my-mate-event-talking #Dating #Relationships #OnlineDating #LifeAndStyle #UkNews #Apps #Technology

Dating apps abroad aren't just for romance—they're your secret travel weapon 📱💗

Read more: https://flip.it/CCO18q

#lifestyle #travel #dating #relationship #onlinedating #datingapp #datingtips #wanderlust

Dear #Fediverse,

CONTENT WARNING, may be upsetting to some readers, contains descriptions of unfortunate dating situations.

---

I've had the pleasure of meeting some good men through #Mastodon but as a female who grew up in the southeastern United States, I can also (sadly) verify the truths of this Substack post.

I wish I could tell you a totally different story. I really do. But I carry a can of pepperspray on my keychain. It's covered with glitter so as to look unremarkable. I bought an armload of them last year, and passed them out to female relatives, friends, and #immigrant coworkers, plus a couple of #Trans coworkers.

None of that would have protected women in their own private homes, from their own husbands.

And this abuse is so common that I stopped even trying any form of #onlinedating due to the overwhelming number of men who made it clear straight away that my only valid purpose on this earth (in their opinions) was to satisfy their immediate need for sex. Even some of the men who seemed nice during online chats went there immediately after getting my phone number, or meeting in person. In one case, I narrowly escaped sexual violence. In most cases, I was sent unsolicited close-ups of the man's genitalia.

I was forced to change my #dating rules again and again, tightening my restrictions on when and where I was willing to meet, refusing to give out personal info until I had run a formal background check. I even put that in writing on my dating profile, but one guy was still angry when I discovered his arrests for violence against prior girlfriends. Another guy was angry because I didn't want to date a man whose driver's license was suspended due to alcohol abuse (driving while intoxicated).

After 10+ years of trying almost every free or paid online dating app or website, I can attest from firsthand experience that at least 80% of the men I encountered went directly or almost directly to describing in detail their specific sexual fantasies and then asking me to participate, either in online conversations, or by meeting at their homes, or meeting at a hotel.

After 10+ years of online dating, I can also say I met a small number of genuinely nice, respectful men too. Most of them had large numbers of children, though, and were heavily in debt, due to child support. I felt bad for them, but that was a package deal I didn't want to take on.

After 10+ years, I had only met one man that I regret letting get away, but that was at the end of that decade spent trying, and I guess I had a touch of PTSD. I do hope he found someone nice.

https://open.substack.com/pub/historyofwomen/p/rape-academy-context

If BGP Peering was like modern Dating:

"you have 5 missed peering requests. Subscribe now to Peeringdb Pro Gold to see all peering requests"

#bgp #peering #onlinedating