Online dating platforms in the UK have lost around 1.4 million users in the past year alone as a growing number of people become increasingly disillusioned with dating apps. There was a significant decline in dating app use from 2023 to 2024, data from the Ofcom 2024 Online Nation Report shows, and many experts posit that this decline is because people are starting to see dating apps as a chore instead of a social activity.
The most popular online dating applications in the world saw an almost 16% drop in use this year, the data indicates, with Tinder losing over 500,000 users since May 2023 followed by Bumble (368,000 users lost) and Hinge (131,000 users lost). Given that these three platforms represent a large portion of the online dating sphere, their losses point to an industry-wide issue.
Researchers from the Center for Love, Sex, and Relationships (CLSR) at the University of Leeds say a growing sense of fatigue and detachment with these platforms is partly responsible for users leaving dating platforms in droves. CLSR co-director and Professor of applied ethics Natasha McKeever says that to many people, virtual dating is becoming a chore that requires more work compared to a social activity.
The researcher adds that online dating ‘becomes tedious’ and leaves users feeling like they’re doing administration work where there is little actual connection with people. Instead of interacting with real people, McKeever says, it seems dating apps present people like cards in a deck, making users feel disconnected from other users. This disconnection allows them to be more abusive in their online interactions, as they aren’t afraid of the consequences such behavior would have in a public setting.
People on dating apps are increasingly acting in ways they wouldn’t if the interactions were personal, McKeever says, as the fact that they are hidden behind a screen means they rarely experience any repercussions for their behavior. Interestingly, while data shows that dating app use among heterosexual people has declined, queer-oriented dating apps have retained most of their users.
Scruff, a dating platform for men seeking other men, is the only dating app that registered a rise in users, while other platforms, such as Squirt and Grindr, which are also used by the LGBTQ+ community, saw a smaller reduction in users compared to platforms that are more geared toward straight users. Leeds University applied ethics tutor Sophie Goddard notes that the continued use of dating apps in the queer community could be because they offer more safety and privacy for people who aren’t comfortable with being seen in physical queer spaces.
The growing statistics of users who are walking away from online dating apps provides a sobering reminder to players in this space, such as Momo Inc. (NASDAQ: MOMO), to constantly keep tabs on user base attrition and take steps to address the cross-cutting issues which could making some customers to leave.
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