Polski
Lonely days at work and lonely nights with the cat. Dating sites provide an opportunity to fill the void during lonely evenings. When writing with someone on dating sites, it is not uncommon to feel much better. Flirting makes us feel more attractive. We have a sense that there is someone out there on the other side who can’t wait to finally hear from us. Familiarity doesn’t have to be a commitment, and it can really add a lot to our lives.
Table of Contents:
- Virtual reality
- What the statistics say
- Politics has crept into dating sites
- Profiles mentioning sports or music attract more attention
- About 1 in 10 singles give up after three months
- COVID pandemic has changed habits
- Rules of savoir vivre and feminism
- Why does it work?
- Most used dating sites
- Poland specific
Virtual reality
Human evolution is leading us toward the digitization of our daily lives. Every day brings us closer to this fact. Let’s hope it’s not inevitable in the bad sense of the word. And that this ubiquity of computers in our lives will bring us more freedom and time for ourselves. Human relations are complicated, it’s no secret. Even the most loving couples face difficulties. The society we live in is asking us for more and more things, and people also want more and more things. People are in a hurry and approaching others less and less. By nature, we also seek ease. The digitization of our daily lives in search of love has translated into a term everyone is familiar with: online dating sites. A phenomenon in full explosion, online dating reveals the modern difficulties of finding a soulmate. They also take a step forward in the distancing of the body characteristic of our modern societies.
When the first dating site was launched in 1990, there were no statistics or reviews of online dating. Singles didn’t really know what a dating site was or if it could work, so registering was really an introduction into the unknown. The numbers show that online dating can work and is quickly becoming the new norm for singles, young and old. Online dating was once stigmatized as a tool for lonely and desperate people, but is now the toast of many wedding parties around the world. The United States has seen a particular increase in the number of newlyweds reporting online dating. Stanford sociologist Michael Rosenfield stated:“I was surprised at how online dating has replaced the help of friends in meeting a romantic partner.”
What the statistics say
The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University has been conducting scientific research on sexuality and human relationships since 1947. The recent rise of online dating has opened up a new area of research for scientists, with the Kinsey Institute publishing assessments of regional and gender differences in the use of online dating. About 1 in 5 women reported using online dating to meet people. In 2020, the Kinsey Institute conducted the largest study of women’s involvement in sexual technology. Researchers surveyed more than 130,000 women around the world to see how technology affects their love lives. Nearly 22% of the women surveyed said they had used mobile dating apps to find romantic partners. The use of online dating appears to be particularly prevalent among women surveyed in Oceania, with 1 in 3 of them reporting using dating apps to meet people.
The Pew Research Center has found that young singles frequently use online dating. What’s more, the Pew Research Center broke down the use of online dating by age, gender, race, education and sexual orientation, and the survey found that online dating is slightly more popular among men than women and much more popular among 20-somethings than 60-somethings. Nearly half of respondents (48%) between the ages of 18 and 29 said they had tried online dating, while only 13% of respondents in the 65 and older category said they had tried online dating The Badoo survey of online dating users under the age of 30 showed high levels of engagement and repeat visits. People in this age group spent about 10 hours a week browsing dating apps. The average dating app session lasted 9.7 minutes for single men and 7.6 minutes for single women. Millenials entering their 30s are increasingly turning to online dating for entertainment. Dating sites have become of interest especially to the LGBTQ+ community. It turns out that among respondents, 11% of heterosexual singles and 21% of lesbian, gay and bisexual singles have met a long-term partner on a dating website or app. Same-sex couples report higher online dating success rates than heterosexual couples. In a recent survey, PinkNews found that 65% of same-sex couples who met in 2017 met online, while only 39% of opposite-sex couples said they met online. Online dating appears to be a winner in the queer community. Statistics show that they are both more popular and more successful among gay and lesbian singles. Grindr has taken steps to raise awareness about HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. This popular gay dating app now allows 27 million male users to accept testing reminders. Studies have shown that gay dating apps can have a positive impact on a user’s sexual health by being proactive.
The eharmony team conducted a series of online dating statistics taken from a dating site. His most interesting findings concern the age at which a person’s attractiveness is greatest. According to eharmony, 21-year-old heterosexual women receive the most attention from male users. Young women are in high demand in the world of online dating, and can sometimes even be overwhelmed by the avalanche of likes and messages.
Men tend to outnumber women on traditional online dating sites and apps. Women in their twenties consistently record the highest rates of incoming messages and likes, but men are catching up to women in terms of attractiveness in their forties. Experts say,“At age 26, women have more online admirers than men, while at age 48, men have twice as many online likes as women.”
Politics has crept into dating sites
About 79% of U.S. singles feel comfortable talking about politics.Politics is a tricky subject on the dating scene, especially in today’s hyper-partisan political climate, and some dating experts encourage singles to avoid talking about politics when they first meet someone. However, many singles have begun to defy this norm and talk politics early on in a new relationship. Since 2016, research shows that online daters have started talking about politics earlier and more often. More and more of today’s dating profiles include terms like “Trumper” and “Black Lives Matter.” In 2020, Match.com conducted its annual survey of singles in America and reported that 45% of all singles wanted to know the political views of their chosen one before a second date. A record 75% of respondents agreed in the survey that it was important for their partner to have the same political beliefs. Overall, we found that Generation Z Republicans feel the most uncomfortable talking about their political views on a date, while baby boomer Democrats are among the most open in sharing their views. The reason for this difference in comfort levels is most likely the social stigma of staunch conservatives. 2020 survey. among American adults found that 88% of people are willing to date a Democrat, 72% a Republican, but only 52% are willing to date someone who voted for Donald Trump.
Profiles mentioning sports or music attract more attention
Zoosk is an online dating platform with more than 40 million users in 80 countries. Singles come from all age groups and backgrounds, but Zoosk’s internal data shows that one of the most popular subsets of users are sports fans. An examination of the data showed that profiles containing the word “sports” received a 53% increase in messages compared to the site’s average. Terms such as MBA, MLB and rugby also correlated with an increase in messages. “Just being a sports fan can increase your chances of getting attention.” – claims Zoosk.
Plenty of Fish, a dating platform with more than 150 million users, has found similar evidence that personality whims pay off online. In particular, being a music fan seems to be an attractive trait for online users. The latter received 32% more messages than the average if they mentioned an interest in music on their dating profiles. Users who referenced Led Zeppelin, Queen, Pink Floyd or The Rolling Stones were 68% more likely to find a match than less rock-oriented users.
Posting photos increases the chances
Singles love dating profiles with more than 4 photos. Photos are one of the most important parts of a dating profile, as they are the most studied by online users. A study by eharmony found that women are more likely than men to post multiple photos, and dating profiles with four or more photos were the most successful online dating site. This was true for both genders. Moreover, eharmony profiles with photos were found to be nine times more likely to receive messages and likes than profiles without photos.
About 1 in 10 singles give up after three months
Burnout in online dating is common among singles who spend hours chatting without getting the desired results. Many dating sites and apps have difficulty retaining users because it is difficult to convince an app user to return after being ignored or rejected. About 10% of online singles abandon the dating platform within three months. Some people delete their profile, while others simply walk away without giving a reason.
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COVID pandemic has changed habits
The very nature of a romantic relationship has changed in the era of social distance. During the pandemic, a wave of singles turned away from bars, house parties and social gatherings and began exploring social media and dating sites to find interesting connections while at home.
During the pandemic, 1 in 5 dates insisted on wearing a mask when meeting. The coronavirus pandemic has caused a global shift in dating patterns. In early 2020. Singles have turned to trusted online dating apps to make social connections over the Internet, and the use of online dating has increased on many platforms. Online chats, video dating and text relationships were the main form of dating until singles felt more comfortable accepting a tete a tete meeting with a few caveats. The Singles in America study found that dating during the new normal was about finding the right level of risk. In the fall of 2020, two-thirds of U.S. singles said they would be willing to date in person, but 36% said they were more selective about who they date, and 23% said they were more selective about where they date. When asked about their stance on masks, 20 percent said they insist that both parties wear masks throughout the date. Surprisingly, 28% of young singles were more likely to support wearing masks compared to 25% of millenials. Buzzfeed survey of 2020. showed that people had resistance to the idea of removing the mask during an in-person meeting. Some 35 percent of respondents said they would feel comfortable removing the mask during a visit, while 33 percent said they would not, and 32 percent said it would depend on the situation.
Rules of savoir vivre and feminism
Feminism is another burning issue in the online dating scene. Heterosexual couples may find it difficult to balance progressive ideals with more traditional values, and may sometimes encounter gender differences that hold them back. For example, there is no clear consensus on how to divide the bill for adoption. About two-thirds of all Elite Singles survey respondents said men should pay, but when broken down by gender, men were found to increase that number. Paying for a meeting is a gesture of goodwill and reflects a person’s core values. More than 80% of men think they should pay for dinner, while 55% of women think a man should pay, and 34% of women say sharing the bill is the best option. In general, single men seem to put pressure on themselves to pay for dinner and stick to old-fashioned gender rules.
Bumble, Hinge and other female-friendly dating apps allow a single woman to filter through potential matches and take the first step. But some dating apps have found evidence that not all women are interested in this. OkCupid studied the impact of feminism on dating habits. The dating platform found that while 77 percent of users identified themselves as feminists, less than 1 percent of heterosexual women said they would rather meet men than be met. 45 percent of women admitted that they would like to be met by a man, while 54 percent said they would prefer both. “Being a feminist does not require rejecting all traditional gender roles.” – concluded the OkCupid team.
Why does it work?
When we have busy lives, it’s harder to meet new people. The success of dating sites stems from their ability to connect singles who are on the same site, in one place. Therefore, it is logical to think that a rare pearl is hiding on one of these websites, also waiting to find happiness. Behind the screen, we feel stronger and reveal ourselves more easily. It is easier to take risks because emotions are not visible. Online dating therefore has the advantage of allowing even the most shy to exchange and build relationships online with singles who have the same ambitions or interests as them. One of the goals of dating sites is to allow singles like us to make first contact. This is the first step to getting to know each other and discovering everyone’s interests before moving on to a physical meeting. Meetings with a person we have already gotten to know a little and with whom we identify in some way.
Neuroscientists surveyed more than 19,000 people who married between 2005 and 2012, and the study found a positive relationship between online dating and relationship satisfaction. Respondents who met their spouse through online dating reported higher levels of happiness in their marriage than those who met through traditional means. According to the study, couples who met online were less likely to separate or divorce. Dating sites are the intermediary that connects two people who share the same aspirations, but who may never have had the opportunity to meet in any other way. The Internet thus removes the barriers of distance and time, offering the opportunity to find love anywhere and anytime. Those looking for love then have a wide range of platforms to search for the perfect partner and meet in person. “We all want connection, lightness, and so we continue to flirt, perhaps even more than normal,” – says Judith Duportail, author of Love under algorithm.
“In short, dating sites and apps accompany the diversification of biographical trajectories and participate in the transformation of love and sexual sociability, which is itself part of the broader evolution of Internet-enabled sociability. They create a privatization of dating that changes love and sexual scenarios: the relationships created by these services quickly become sexual and often short-lived. But online dating sites also inform us about the persistence of heterosexuality, highlighting the rules, norms and social hierarchies that persist in dating and intimate relationships. In this sense, they are more extending already present trends than revolutionizing sexual and romantic practices” says Marie Bergström, a researcher at INED, a specialist in the sociology of couples and sexuality, including online dating, and author of Sexuality, Couples and Encounters in the Digital Age.
Most used dating sites
The most used dating sites are Tinder, Badoo, Meetic. Disons Demain, Attractive World HugAvenue. This is quite normal due to the “effectiveness” of these sites, which justifies their past reputation. In addition, their functionality is not limited, and these sites are completely free to use without having to pay the option of favoring your account.
In Poland, these include eDarling – one of the largest platforms among all dating sites in Poland. No. 1 in the 2022 Dating Portal Ranking. The next places belong to Be2, a contender that is gaining popularity both at home and abroad. The portal for singles Academic Singles, on the other hand, is a site for educated singles who dream of meeting a soulmate with similar education and social status. The dating site Sympatia is also very popular.
According to a 2018 Mindreader survey, dating sites are visited monthly by 22% of adult Internet users in Poland. This percentage has remained at a comparable level for the past two years (20% in 2017). Among regular users of dating sites (a minimum of 1 visit per month), men dominate, accounting for approx. 3/5 of the analyzed group. The majority is also made up of people aged 18-34 (59%), among whom almost one in three Internet users use dating sites at least once a month. This does not mean, however, that people in other age brackets shy away from visiting dating sites – among Internet users 50+, an average of one in ten uses them on a monthly basis. It is worth mentioning that slightly more than half of regular online daters (53%) have children.
How is the popularity of dating sites shaping up in other European countries? The survey of 20 countries showed that the highest results were recorded in Hungary and Romania, where nearly one in four respondents use dating sites monthly. Poland, with a score of 22%, ranks 3rd, ex aequo with Norway. The ranking is topped by Switzerland and the Netherlands, where just over 10% of adult Internet users visit dating sites on a monthly basis.
Poland specific
Demographic realities clearly show that more boys than girls are born. On dating sites, therefore, women are not increasing. Quite the opposite. Women are much quicker to find partners after which they delete their accounts. The number of men is not decreasing. It has come to the point that today men no longer pay attention to whether a potential candidate is from the city or the countryside. They are not even interested in a woman’s material status or education. In this way, dating sites contribute to the phenomenon of hypergamy. Unlike the strong sex, women seek candidates with the highest possible material and social status. It can be said that they dictate the terms. This leads to a situation where men are willing to meet a woman with a status much lower than the one they represent. The consequence could be the destruction of the structure of Polish society. How? Suppose a single mother enters into a relationship with a man who is not only attractive in appearance. If she gets pregnant with him, and in the course of their relationship any defects in her character due to, for example, a lack of education are revealed then there is a high probability that the man will abandon her. Closed Circle. Another single mother, this time with a second child. On the other hand, women being outnumbered can choose candidates according to their own tastes. And importantly, they don’t have to make a permanent commitment to them. As the saying goes, there is a choice, a color. All this is taking its toll on the living fabric of society.
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