8 Weird Facts About Online Dating

Did you know that the number of single adults in America jumped from 102 million to 124 million from 2011 to 2014?

Even with exponentially more options at our fingertips, single people are showing that they’re more interested in having those options than settling down.

The shift away from marriage is the result of a host of social and economic factors. But one of the major contributors is the seemingly limitless viable partners we now have access to.

Whether they’re joining dating apps like Tinder and Bumble or sticking with older platforms like Match.com and OKCupid, not everyone has the same objective when they sign up.

Read on to learn some weird facts about online dating–and see if it matches up with your own experiences.

Weird Facts About Online Dating

From the origins of online dating to the truth about what you’ll find when you meet someone, we found some surprising dating facts when it comes to online courtship.

Here are some of the strangest ones.

1. No Kissing on the First Date

It seems that the majority of online daters are adamant about not kissing on the first date.

We thought this was surprising since online dating is often blamed for the rise of “hook-up culture“. In actuality, it looks like even successful dates end with a walk home and nothing more.

Maybe it just means you get another chance to get to know them when you meet up for a second date.

2. Not Everyone Approves of Online Dating

Although there is much less stigma associated with online dating compared to a decade ago, there are still people who look down on the practice.

There is a small percentage of people who still think that those who participate in online dating are desperate. Once the prevalent thought, now only 21% of Americans have that view.

On the other hand, the large majority of Americans say that online dating is socially acceptable. They’re even comfortable admitting that they met their husband or wife through an online platform.

And the numbers don’t lie–couples who meet online are hitting it off in droves.

3. Online Daters Are Surprisingly Romantic

A startling 66% of those surveyed by an anonymous survey said they believe in love at first sight. It makes sense that the romantics among us would have high standards when it comes to their relationships.

If you believe in love at first sight, does that means that you also believe that there is only one right person for you? We’re not sure about that, but it sounds like these romantics are not so hopeless!

The average courtship length for online daters is just 18 months. This is much shorter than the 42-month average courtship for offline daters.

4. Some People Are Just Browsing

Have you ever been in the frustrating situation where you match with someone on a dating website and they never reply to your messages? Or maybe even more frustratingly, they engage with you online but never seem to have time to meet in person?

Well, don’t beat yourself up too much. Apparently, one-third of people who have profiles on online dating websites have never actually gone on a date with any of their online matches.

We can only assume that these are the people who have lingering negative sentiments towards online dating.

5. Online Dating Isn’t Just for the Young

Once the demographics of online dating sites were dominated by people in their late twenties to early thirties. Over time, these demographics have changed.

From 2013 to 2015, 18 to 24-year-old users of online and mobile dating platforms has increased from 10% to 27%. On the other end of the age spectrum, users aged 55 to 64 years old have doubled from 6% to 12% during the same time span.

6. Online Dating Isn’t New

We were floored to find out that online dating actually goes all the way back to the 1960s. Two students from Harvard University developed Operation Match in 1966. The program gained popularity and soon received 8,000 applicants.

The two men who developed the program asked interested parties to fill out the questionnaire on punch cards. They would then run the data and match them based on an algorithm.

Two decades later, video dating services gained popularity for lonely singles. With these services, users had to record a video to create their dating profile. These videos were then sent to other users of the service.

Certainly not as speedy as swiping right!

7. Don’t Believe Everything (or Anything) in Their Profile

It turns out everyone lies in their profiles. It seems that both men and women lie about their age.

Additionally, men lie about their height and income whereas women lie about their weight and physical build. Men often lie about their personality or daily life in order to seem more attractive–just like with normal dating.

It’s natural to tell a few white lies here and there. However, with online dating, men lie about their major physical attributes and financial stability, including lies about age, height, and income.

Frankly, this is one of the major reasons we’re tired of the online dating game. Check out this site for a fun and sexy alternative that won’t leave you feeling frustrated!

8. Online Dating Is a Big Business

This may come as a surprise when you think that many of the online dating platforms are free to use.

But online dating is a big business, bringing in $1 billion USD in annual revenue. Some of this revenue comes from premium options like the ability to unlock additional matches or other offers.

In addition to revenue generated from users unlocking paid content, the free-to-use apps rake in considerable revenue by selling advertising inside their apps.

Avoid the Hassle and Skip Online Dating Altogether

Wow, we’re pretty shocked by some of these weird facts about online dating. Were you?

By now, you must be wondering if online dating is worth your time. That’s up to you to decide.

But until then, here are some exciting ideas for the next time you bring a date home.

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