The Case Against Online Dating Part 1: Commodification

Did you know the first dating site kiss.com launched in 1994, followed shortly thereafter by match.com in 1995? Back then online dating was seen as creepy and only lackluster nerds who couldn’t get dates in real life would go on there.

Now dating apps and online dating are mainstream in its truest form. By 2007 Americans spent $500 million on online dating sites.

Now it’s the second most profitable sector of the internet economy.

What’s the first?

It’s the category that would require people to use their browser in incognito mode ;)

Online dating services are expected to rake in over $4.0 billion this year in the United States alone.

Of course, it’s making that much money! It creates opportunities for people from specific communities to connect with each other, LGBTQ plus folks, people in rural areas, elderly or disabled people, hell even fly fishermen, farmers, single parents, and much much more.

It’s the modern quintessential unthreatening way to meet new people. And sometimes it’s just a tool to screen out potentially bad matches.