Facebook's Attempt at Dating

Zuckerberg: Relationship Status, interested in. This is what drives life in college. Are you having sex or aren't you? It's why people take certain classes and sit where they sit, and do what they do. That's what the Facebook is gonna be about, People are going to log on because, after all the cake and watermelon, there's a chance they're actually gonna...

8 years since 'The social network' come out, the world of dating has changed as a whole. The idea of heading out to a bar to approach someone seems archaic. Sorry Generation X. Let's take it from a man's point of view; Calling a girl, picking her up, ringing the front doorbell, meeting the parents, taking her out to dinner, and bring her home by a reasonable time. Although very movie-esque, it has taught values and respect to the dating scene if not relationships. What makes it strangely ironic is that although most young people have heard of this movie-esque dating described above, many seldom experience it with any real frequency.

To say the least, it's not outdated but in a world of accessibility its endearing. The world of dating where we would sit at a candlelit dinner to get to know the other person has been suppressed by dating apps.

Let's wind forward to 2018 and the introduction of dating apps on our mobile phones have become the new norm. They've also become intertwined with our dating habits and culture. Who hasn't ventured into the dark hole of Tinder? Apps such as Tinder, Bumble, POF and Badoo have become hugely popular & successful. But has this resulted in us becoming emotionally disconnected and reward-seeking? 

Tinder which was founded in 2012, has amassed 50 million users on its app and is expected to generate $800 million in revenue this year - (expandedramblings)

Some of the biggest dating apps have introduced an addictive feature of swiping Left or Right to get a match.

Tinder is addictive because it was inspired by a 1940's psychological experiment that turned pigeons into 'gambling fanatics'. Tinder executive Jonathan Badeen has admitted in an interview with a journalist, Nancy Jo Sales, on the new HBO documentary “Swiped” as to what makes it so addictive.

He based the dating app's famous 'swipe' mechanic on a classic experiment he had studied the work of B.F. Skinner at University. In one of Skinner’s experiments, he conditioned hungry pigeons to believe that food, which was actually being delivered at random times, was prompted by random pecking. So, the pigeons began pecking more and more in the hopes of getting more food. 

“That’s the whole swiping mechanism,” Sales said. “You swipe, you might get a match, you might not. And then you’re just like excited to play the game ...

• A survey from 2014 found that 84 per cent of dating app users were using online dating services to look for a romantic relationship.
• Twenty-four per cent stated that they used online dating apps explicitly for sexual encounters.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Facebook Dating

The dating industry is becoming bigger and bigger with the use of digital applications, with as a result people's beliefs are changing as well. Does that mean there's a chance for some more fingers in the pie? Facebook Dating went live last week in a country-wide test in Colombia. It’s centred around an algorithm-powered home screen of suggested romantic matches based on everything Facebook knows about you. You know just like the 'suggested friend' tab on Instagram, sounds familiar right?  

There have been some features the typical modern dating app which Facebook has decided to leave out - no app, no swiping and no ads (for now). 

It’s not ready for the worldwide public yet, but company employees have taken it around the block for a spin. During it's internally testing phases facebook employees could match — though they’re warned that it’s not for dating their co-workers.

Users can upload pictures from Facebook or Instagram profiles to use as co-based questions. They'd answer up to 20 questions about their personality such as “What does your perfect day look like?” or “What song always makes you sing along? How loud?”

• Source: Techcrunch.com  

Leading to users being able to start chats around the pictures or answers to those question based characteristics, hobbies or passions. 

Why?

To find people, find similar interests. This goes back to the quote in the film "This is what drives life in college." It's what drives our desire for sex, why we spruce up for a night out, why we boast about the jobs we have and why we buy that drink to start a conversation ;)

Facebook allows us the ease of usability in addition to convenience for a lot of users. If people find a new online means of dating, users will flock to the feature and spend more time on the app itself. The longevity of Facebook will always be around users, can it sustain growth and will it pinch another pie it can dip its fingers in?