I think it's worth remembering that actually only a minority of people with a partner found that partner through an app/dating site, even among relatively young cohorts. The only thing there is a monopoly over is the digital part but that's strictly optional.
I'm not arguing that the dating apps are particular good or successful. I wouldn't be complaining about Match Group if they were. In fact, there's been a rising share of people who are unpartnered: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2021/10/05/rising-...
In another comment, I talked about societal changes that have resulted in more social isolation: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37213625 I think it's a problem is that we've become increasingly dependent on dating apps. Nonetheless, I don't think "just don't use dating apps" is really a solution, as if they were "strictly optional", because we can't magically go back to the good old days where everyone met their partners in person. The world has changed, and the old world doesn't exist anymore. In many cases, the alternative to avoiding the apps is singleness and loneliness.
We might all be better off if we collectively decided to abandon the dating apps. Short of that, however, it's kind of like "unilateral disarmament".
There's a few things going on here: a lot of young and LGB single people are using the apps but despite that most of those people who do get a partner still aren't actually meeting that partner through an app - about 20% for the youngest age group listed did. This isn't insignificant but 80% of that group did not meet their partner through an app still.
While the amount of users of that group are high, most of them are still ultimately going to meet their future partner through other avenues. It's worth highlighting that by definition most of them are unsuccessful at that point. It might be that actually one of the apps' main functions for some people is simply to give people some common ground as they exchange grievances about the experience...
On the amount of people in relationships, the data only seems to account for cohabiting and married couples, everyone else seems to be grouped into 'unpartnered'. As such this could also be reflective of changes in living circumstances - more young people still living with parents for example which may reduce opportunities for cohabiting. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/09/04/a-majorit...
In any case I agree with you that something is going on there but I still don't think that apps represent a good solution for most people.
My personal experience was that online dating was a disaster that (temporarily, fortunately) ruined my self-esteem and my best luck always came when I wasn't 'trying' to date at all.
> There's a few things going on here: a lot of young and LGB single people are using the apps but despite that most of those people who do get a partner still aren't actually meeting that partner through an app - about 20% for the youngest age group listed did. This isn't insignificant but 80% of that group did not meet their partner through an app still.
The raw percentages are somewhat difficult to interpret for several reasons. 1) Many people on the apps are not looking for a partner, they're just looking for dates or hookups. In a sense, neither success nor failure of the apps are fully or accurately represented in the cited percentages. 2) The dating apps themselves are only a few decades old and have increased in usage over time, so anyone who has been partnered for a long time, before the existence and rise of the apps, needs to be ruled out beforehand from the data.
> I still don't think that apps represent a good solution for most people.
I didn't say they were. ;-)
> my best luck always came when I wasn't 'trying' to date at all.
Alas, luck is just that, something that can't be relied on, and only blesses the lucky.
https://today.yougov.com/topics/technology/articles-reports/...