The promise of finding someone a few clicks away in an age where everyone is connected is too good to pass on. Online dating has been growing exponentially over the past few years. The origin of online dating started in when two Stanford University students used a questionnaire and an IBM terminal to match 49 men and women.
The experiment relied on matching couples according to their responses. The s also experienced another step forward to what modern dating is; innovations such as the Minitel in France where pink chat rooms were set up Messageries Rose ; while at the same time in the US, bulletin boards for dating were set up.
Matchmaker Electronic Pen-Pal Network, the system was a precursor to the internet with users exchanging data through terminals with a mechanism similar to mail or instant messaging. In with the advent of the World Wide Web, Match. The first real online dating website β e-harmony, launched in , was designed to be a matchmaking service with a focus on building long-term relationships and used a set of questions to be filled since then reduced to Online dating has grown with the rise of technology.
Indeed, what was a lengthy process using clunky e-mails changed gradually using modern technology. Video conferencing, fast mobile connections and the convergence towards the app economy have led to an exponential increase in dating websites and apps across the world.
Two trends have emerged: traditional dating sites with a generalist and wide population and niche dating sites geared towards more atypical and specific audiences. Here are some of the more interesting picks:. Although there is no shortage of options when it comes to online dating the market is mainly dominated by the big players, but market size does not necessarily equate with favorite as these studies from statista. However, there is potential in other regions, including the Middle East.
