Timeline of online dating

Last updated

This timeline of online dating also includes broader events related to technology-assisted dating (not just online dating). Where there are similar services, only major ones or the first of its kind are listed.

Contents

Year (month and date)EventVenue
1959Happy Families Planning Service launches. Started by Jim Harvey and Phil Fialer as a class project at Stanford. Used a questionnaire and an IBM 650 to match 49 men and 49 women. [1]
1963Ed Lewis at Iowa State University uses a questionnaire and an IBM computer "to optimize the meeting potential at dances". [2]
1964St. James Computer Dating Service (later to become Com-Pat) launches. Joan Ball started the first commercially run computer generated matchmaking company. The first set of matchups was run in 1964. [3]
1965 Operation Match (part of Compatibility Research Inc.) launches. Started by Jeff Tarr and Vaughan Morrill at Harvard. Used a questionnaire and an IBM 1401 to match students. There was a $3 fee for submitting a questionnaire. "By the fall of sixty-five, six months after the launch, some ninety thousand Operation Match questionnaires had been received, amounting to $270,000 in gross profits, about $1.8 million in [2014]'s dollars." [2] In the 1960s there still was no stigma about computer-assisted matching.
1965Eros (Contact Inc.) launches. Started by David Dewan at MIT. Used a dating questionnaire and Honeywell 200. "In one distribution of questionnaires, he drew eleven thousand responses at $4 each, or $44,000 in gross profits, about $250,000 in [2014]'s dollars." [2]
1965 The New York Review of Books personals column makes a comeback. Slater writes:

Classifieds made a comeback in America in the 1960s and 1970s, encouraged by the era's inclination toward individualism and social exhibitionism. "Everybody was letting it all hang out in other ways," said Raymond Shapiro, a business manager for the New York Review of Books, "so suddenly it was okay to display oneself in print. It was very important to be 'self-aware.' So you'd get ads like: 'Astrologer, 27, psychology student, desires to establish non-superficial friendship with sensitive, choicelessly aware persons who are non-self-oriented, deep, and wish to unearth real personness relationships.'" [2]

Magazine
1968Data-Mate launches. Questionnaire-based matching service started at MIT. [4]
1970s, earlyPhase II is founded. A "computer-dating company" started by James Schur. [2]
1974Cherry Blossoms' mail-order bride catalog launches. Slater calls Cherry Blossoms "one of the oldest mail-order bride agencies". Started by John Broussard.
1976Great Expectations is founded. Video dating service started by Jeffrey Ullman. [5] [6] The service achieved some notability, but it never overcame stigma. There were also apparently other video dating services like Teledate and Introvision, but it's nearly impossible to find anything about them online.
1980smessageries roses (pink chat rooms) launches chat rooms for dating (using the Minitel network) started by Marc Simoncini. France.
1982Jens Jürgen founded Travel Companion Exchange, the first travel partner matching service. [7]
1986 [8] Matchmaker Electronic Pen-Pal Network launches. A bulletin board system for romance started by Jon Boede and Scott Smith. Matchmaker grew to 14 local BBSs throughout the US. Eventually people lost interest as BBSs lost out to the World Wide Web, and Matchmaker was superseded by Matchmaker.com.
1987TelePersonals is created as a separate telephone dating system in Toronto, Canada from an earlier "Personals" dating section of a telephone classified business. As part of an advertising program a selection of ads appear on the back pages of Now Magazine, the Canadian equivalent of the Village Voice. Services in different cities around the Toronto area are launched. A gay option is quickly added. The gay section becomes its own branded service. At the very beginning of the 2000s TelePersonals launches online and is rebranded as Lava Life with sections for cities across the United States and Canada.Telephone, later Web
1989Scanna International launches. Mail-order bride service focusing on Russia and Eastern Europe.
1994 Kiss.com launches. The first modern dating website.
1995 Yid.com launched as the first Jewish dating service and the first dating site in South Africa.Web
1995 Match.com launches. Started by Gary Kremen.
1997 JDate launches dating service targeted at Jewish singles
1997 Shaadi.com launches. It is an online wedding service founded by Anupam Mittal in 1997. October 1998, Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founder and executive vice chairman of Info Edge India, started the matrimonial website
1998 Jeevansathi.com launches. October 1998, Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founder and executive vice chairman of Info Edge India, started the matrimonial website.
1999 Gaydar launches. Founded in November 1999 by London-based South Africans Gary Frisch and his partner Henry Badenhorst, the website was once the world's most popular gay online dating site it grew into a portfolio of websites and an award-winning radio station.Web later App
2000 eHarmony launches. Online dating service for long-term relationships.
2000 BharatMatrimony launches. Murugavel Janakiraman started the BharatMatrimony website in 2000[7] while working as a software consultant for Lucent Technologies in Edison, N.J. In the late 1990s he set up a Tamil community web portal, which included matrimonial ads. He started BharatMatrimony after noticing the matrimonial ads generated most of his web traffic
2001 Christian Mingle launches dating service for Christian singles
2002Friendster is launched. A friendship, dating and early general Social networking website all rolled into one. In 2005 Facebook copies and expands the idea into a general social interconnected website.Web
2002 PlanetRomeo is launched as GayRomeo in October 2002 initially only available in German but now available in 6 languages. The majority of the sites users are based in Europe.Web later App
2002 Dudesnude is launched as a networking site for gay men. The company slogan is "picture, video, and profile sharing for men!"Web
2002 Ashley Madison is launched as a networking service for extramarital relationships.
2002PrimeSingles.net launches as a dating service for singles over 50. This name changes to Single Seniors Meet in 2009 and to SilverSingles in 2011
2003Proxidating launches. Dating service that used Bluetooth to "alert users when a person with a matching profile was within fifty feet". [2]
2003 PlentyOfFish launches.Web
2004 OkCupid launches.Web
2006 Spark Networks, owner of niche dating sites like Jdate and Christian Mingle, goes public. [9]
2006 Badoo launches as a dating-focused social networking service
2006 SeekingArrangement launches. A sugar daddy/sugar baby site in the US.
2006MeetMoi launches the first location based dating application [10] Web later App
2007 Skout launches. A "location-based social networking and dating application and website".
2007 ScientificMatch.com launches, claiming to match people with complementary immune systems.
2007 Crazy Blind Date launches. Blind dating service started by Sam Yagan.
2007 Zoosk launches. A global online-dating service started by Shayan Zadeh and Alex Mehr.
2008GenePartner launches matching service based on "DNA compatibility". [11]
2009 Grindr launches, focusing on gay, bi and trans people.App
2009VIDA Select launches, online matchmaking platform using virtual assistants. [12]
2010 Scruff launches, focussing on gay, bisexual, and transgender men, adding in 2013 a HIV-positive community.App
2011LikeBright launches. Online dating site by Nick Soman. [13] By 2014 the site shut down. [14] Web
2011Dating group Spark Networks acquires Senior Singles Meet (formerly PrimeSingles) and changes the name to SilverSingles
2011 (July) Momo, a Chinese social search and instant messaging app launches.
2011 (September) Blendr, designed to connect like-minded people, launches.
2012(?) Highlight launches. Slater calls it a "location-based dating app".App
2012 Tinder launches.App
2012 Hinge launches, an app 'designed to be deleted'App
2013 Dattch launches on the App Store as first lesbian and bisexual dating app for queer women, nonbinary and trans people
2013 Pure launches on the App Store App
2014 (Passover) JSwipe launches. A dating app for Jewish millennials.App
2014 Bristlr launches, facilitating communication between bearded men and women who love beards.
2014 (July) 3nder starts facilitating communication between people interested in polyamory, kink, swinging, and other alternative sexual preferences.
2014 (September) Spoonr starts facilitating communication between strangers who live within walking distance from each other.
2014 (December) Bumble launches, a location-based mobile app that permits only women to start a chat with their matches. [15]
2015 HER launches as the rebrand of Dattch
2015Personal information of Ashley Madison users stolen and released.
2015 Huggle starts connecting users based on commonality of places they frequent.
2015 Yellow, a Tinder for teens, launches in France and in 2017 in the US.
2015Jdate owners Spark Networks Inc buy JSwipe from Smooch Labs. [16]
2015 (November 19) Match Group, which owns and operates several online dating web sites including OkCupid, Tinder, PlentyOfFish, and Match.com, goes public.
2017Affinitas GmbH (owner of dating websites like EliteSingles and eDarling) merges with Spark Networks, Inc, (owner of dating websites like Christian Mingle, Jdate, and SilverSingles) to create Spark Networks SE
2018 Sniffies, a map-based hookup web app for gay, bisexual, and bicurious men, is launched. [17] [18]
2019Spark Networks SE acquires Zoosk, forming North America's second-largest dating company in revenues. [19]
2020Spark dating app launches in Canada with a focus on creative matchmaking [20] App

Dominance of online dating

The continued rise of meeting online for heterosexual couples. How heterosexual couples have met, data from 2009 and 2017.png
The continued rise of meeting online for heterosexual couples.

A 2017 survey by Michael J. Rosenfeld, updated in 2021, tracked the change in how Americans meet their spouses and romantic partners since 1940. The results indicated a significant increase in the proportion of couples whose first interaction occurred through online media, with 39% of heterosexual couples and 65% of same-sex couples meeting this way as of 2021. However, these broad statistics are mutually inclusive, capturing all online interactions and not solely those initiated through dating apps. When the data is refined to 'meeting through dating apps,' the percentage narrows to approximately 10%. [21] [22]

A Pew Research study [23] corroborated these findings, reporting that 28% of straight and 52% of LGB Americans have used dating apps or sites. Yet, only 9% of straight adults and 24% of LGB adults reported meeting their match online. Similar trends were noted in a 2021 study by Morning Consult, [24] which showed that the percentage of individuals who met their partners through online dating increased from 10% in 2018 to 13% in 2021, potentially influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic. A multinational study by YouGov [25] also revealed that the average percentage of couples meeting through an app across 17 countries was 8%, with the U.S. standing at the same rate.

In summary, while a substantial 49% of adults using dating apps claim to be searching for exclusive romantic relationships, [26] the actual formation of such relationships through dating apps is considerably lower. Only 8-13% of straight couples and 24% of lesbian, gay, or bisexual couples meet through these platforms. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Online dating</span> Internet service providing potential relationship contacts

Online dating, also known as internet dating, virtual dating, or mobile app dating, is a method used by people with a goal of searching for and interacting with potential romantic or sexual partners, via the internet. An online dating service is a company that promotes and provides specific mechanisms for the practice of online dating, generally in the form of dedicated websites or software applications accessible on personal computers or mobile devices connected to the internet. A wide variety of unmoderated matchmaking services, most of which are profile-based with various communication functionalities, is offered by such companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matchmaking</span> Process of matching two or more people together, usually for the purpose of marriage

Matchmaking is the process of matching two or more people together, usually for the purpose of marriage, in which case the matchmaker is also known as a marriage broker. The word is also used in the context of sporting events such as boxing, in business, in online video games and in pairing organ donors.

Dating game shows are game shows that incorporates a variety of matchmaking systems and services in the form of a game with clear rules. Human matchmaking is involved only in selecting the game's contestants, who are usually selected more for the amusement value than any concern for their happiness or compatibility. The audience sees only the game; an important feature of all dating game shows is that the contestants have little or no previous knowledge of each other, and are exposed to each other only through the game, which may include viewing a photograph or at least knowing the basic criteria for participation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Courtship</span> Period in a couples relationship which precedes their engagement and marriage

Courtship is the period wherein some couples get to know each other prior to a possible marriage or committed romantic, de facto relationship. Courtship traditionally may begin after a betrothal and may conclude with the celebration of marriage. A courtship may be an informal and private matter between two people or may be a public affair, or a formal arrangement with family approval. Traditionally, in the case of a formal engagement, it is the role of a male to actively "court" or "woo" a female, thus encouraging her to understand him and her receptiveness to a marriage proposal.

A dating agency, also known as a marriage bureau, marriage agency, matrimonial bureau or matrimonial agency, is a business that provides matchmaking services to potential couples, with a view toward romance and/or marriage between them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of sexual orientation</span> Prevalence of different types of sexual orientation

Obtaining precise numbers on the demographics of sexual orientation is difficult for a variety of reasons, including the nature of the research questions. Most of the studies on sexual orientation rely on self-reported data, which may pose challenges to researchers because of the subject matter's sensitivity. The studies tend to pose two sets of questions. One set examines self-report data of same-sex sexual experiences and attractions, while the other set examines self-report data of personal identification as homosexual or bisexual. Overall, fewer research subjects identify as homosexual or bisexual than report having had sexual experiences or attraction to a person of the same sex. Survey type, questions and survey setting may affect the respondents' answers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OkCupid</span> American online dating service

OkCupid is a U.S.-based, internationally operating online dating, friendship, and formerly also a social networking website and application. It features multiple-choice questions to match members. Registration is free. OkCupid is owned by Match Group, which also owns Tinder, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, and many other popular dating apps and sites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romance scam</span> Confidence trick using romantic intentions

A romance scam is a confidence trick involving feigning romantic intentions towards a victim, gaining the victim's affection, and then using that goodwill to get the victim to send money to the scammer under false pretenses or to commit fraud against the victim. Fraudulent acts may involve access to the victim's money, bank accounts, credit cards, passports, Cash App, e-mail accounts, or national identification numbers; or forcing the victims to commit financial fraud on their behalf.

Dating is a stage of romantic relationships in which two individuals engage in an activity together, most often with the intention of evaluating each other's suitability as a partner in a future intimate relationship. It falls into the category of courtship, consisting of social events carried out by the couple either alone or with others.

This is a partial, non-exhaustive list of notable online dating websites and mobile apps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spark Networks</span> Global dating company

Spark Networks GmbH is an American-German dating company with a portfolio of brands designed for singles seeking serious relationships. These online dating brands include Zoosk, SilverSingles, EliteSingles, Jdate, ChristianMingle, eDarling, JSwipe, AdventistSingles, LDSSingles, and Attractive World. Formed in 2017 through the merger of Affinitas GmbH and Spark Networks, Inc., the company has a presence in 29 countries worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoosk</span> Online dating service

Zoosk is an online dating service available in 25 languages and in more than 80 countries. The founders of the company are Shayan Zadeh and Alex Mehr, who ran the company until December 2014. After struggles that year, Kelly Steckelberg became the company's new CEO. In July 2019, Zoosk became part of Spark Networks SE.

Blendr was an online dating application based on geosocial networking for Android, iOS and Facebook. It is designed to connect like-minded people near to each other. It was created by Joel Simkhai and patterned after his previous app Grindr which is instead aimed at gay men. Blendr claims to be "powered by" Badoo but largely appears to be the same service. As of 2022, it had 200 million users worldwide and requires users to be over the age of 18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AnastasiaDate</span>

AnastasiaDate is an international online dating website that primarily connects men from North America with women from Eastern Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tinder (app)</span> American online dating app

Tinder is an online dating and geosocial networking application launched in 2012. On Tinder, users "swipe right" to like or "swipe left" to dislike other users' profiles, which include their photos, a short bio, and some of their interests. Tinder uses a "double opt-in" system, also called "matching", where two users must like each other before they can exchange messages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coffee Meets Bagel</span> Dating app

Coffee Meets Bagel is a San Francisco–based dating and social networking service.

Match Group, Inc. is an American internet and technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It owns and operates the largest global portfolio of popular online dating services including Tinder, Match.com, Meetic, OkCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, OurTime, and other dating global brands. The company was owned by IAC until July 2020 when Match Group was spun off as a separate, public company. As of 2019, the company had 9.3 million subscribers, of which 4.6 million were in North America. Japan is the company's second largest market, after the United States.

An online dating application, commonly known as a dating app, is an online dating service presented through a mobile phone application. These apps often take advantage of a smartphone's GPS location capabilities, always on-hand presence, and access to mobile wallets. These apps aim to speed up the online dating process of sifting through potential dating partners, chatting, flirting, and potentially meeting or becoming romantically involved.

Talia Goldstein is an American entrepreneur, founder of the matchmaking company Three Day Rule in 2010.

Inclov is an Indian dating site for disabled people.

References

  1. ↑ "A Brief History of Online Dating". Bloomberg News. 2019-03-13. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Slater, Dan. A Million First Dates.
  3. ↑ Hicks, Marie (2016). "Computer Love: Replicating Social Order Through Early Computer Dating Systems". Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, and Technology. ISSN   2325-0496.
  4. ↑ Lawrence Krakauer writes about his experiences here.
  5. ↑ Ullman, Jeff. "Jeff Ullman". LinkedIn . Retrieved December 4, 2016. Great Expectations (video dating) December 1975 – January 1997 (21 years 2 months) Created, served as CEO, and primary international media spokesperson for 'Great Expectations', which we built into the world's largest introduction service for singles (aka, 'video dating').
  6. ↑ Wallace, Amy (January 16, 1994). "Love God From Hell : The Man Who Brought You Videodating Hates to Date, Loves to Taunt and Has Himself Been Unlucky in Love. Would You Buy a Relationship From Jeffrey Ullman?". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved December 4, 2016. Dan Slater references this article.
  7. ↑ admin (2018-05-23). "Travel Chums". Brickell Magazine. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  8. ↑ Slater, Dan.
  9. ↑ Gelsi, Steve. "Spark Networks files $75 million IPO". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  10. ↑ Smith, Kevin. "Check Out MeetMoi, The Dating App That Has Quietly Reached 3 Million Users". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  11. ↑ Arrington, Michael (July 22, 2008). "Ok, We Have Our First DNA-Based Dating Service: GenePartner". TechCrunch. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  12. ↑ "I Employed a Team of 'Virtual Dating Assistants' to Manage My Online Love Life". www.vice.com. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  13. ↑ Soper, Taylor (December 20, 2013). "Matchmaking platform LikeBright raising $1M to help singles land a 2nd date". GeekWire. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  14. ↑ Soper, Taylor (September 18, 2014). "Matchmaking platform LikeBright morphs into Reveal, a new anonymous chat app". GeekWire. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Bumble is a dating app where women take lead". Thestar. 28 April 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  16. ↑ "JDate Bought JSwipe and Everyone Loves Each Other Now". Observer. 2015-10-15. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  17. ↑ Murphy, Rhodes (24 June 2021). "Sniffing Around for Quick, Cruisy "Connections" This Hot Vax Summer?". Slate Magazine . Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  18. ↑ Hazlehurst, Beatrice (13 June 2022). "The latest hookup apps prove the sex recession is a myth". i-D . Vice. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  19. ↑ "Spark Networks SE Closes Zoosk, Inc. Acquisition". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  20. ↑ "Spark Networks Launches 'Creativity-Focused' Dating App 'Spark'". Global Dating Insights. 2020-06-25. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  21. ↑ "How Couples Meet and Stay Together | SSDS Social Science Data Collection". data.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
  22. ↑ "How Couples Meet and Stay Together 2017 (HCMST2017) | SSDS Social Science Data Collection". data.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
  23. ↑ Atske, Sara (2023-02-02). "From Looking for Love to Swiping the Field: Online Dating in the U.S." Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  24. ↑ "Spurred On by COVID-19, Millennials Lead the Way in Destigmatizing Online Dating". Morning Consult Pro. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  25. ↑ "A global look at who has found love through an app | YouGov". yougov.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  26. ↑ "What Americans think about dating apps | YouGov". today.yougov.com. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  27. ↑ "How Straight and Gay Couples Meet: Statistics [LGBT] | Dating Armory". 2023-09-05. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
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