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Dating: A mysterious constellation of facts
10 hours ago
- Dating apps are popular but widely hated due to ineffectiveness, dehumanization, and cost.
- Network effects create an oligopoly where profitable incumbents resist displacement by better alternatives.
- Speed dating events with small groups paradoxically succeed, contradicting the network effects argument.
- The author argues high-bandwidth in-person interactions provide more useful information than dating apps.
- Selection and behavioral changes are dismissed as major factors; the key is bandwidth.
- Dating apps remain low-bandwidth and profit-driven, failing to replicate in-person interaction benefits.
Make product worse, get money
10 hours ago
- The theory that dating apps intentionally avoid matching people to keep them paying is not unique; it reflects a general incentive to make products worse for profit.
- Similar patterns exist across industries, such as pizza restaurants using cheap ingredients, automakers cutting safety costs, and manufacturers reducing product durability.
- Products are often bad because consumers prefer cheaper options, not just because producers are greedy; this is a normal market function.
- Information asymmetries allow bad products to persist when consumers cannot easily judge quality, like in longevity advice or food safety.
- Bad taste among consumers can lead to poor-quality products, though this is subjective and overlaps with information issues.
- Pricing power from moats (e.g., brand, patents) lets companies degrade products or raise prices without competition, as seen in venues with expensive food.
- The key question is why dating apps can get away with poor matching, likely due to lack of viable competition or consumer demand for alternatives.
The Dating App Plot Device
10 hours ago
- Dating apps have two conflicting business models: help users find a match and lose them, or keep them paying indefinitely.
- Love is hard to define, and programmatic matching relies on measurable metrics, hoping love emerges.
- The author's interviews revealed confusion about what constitutes a 'good date' and why people remain single despite good dates.
- A key insight: men seek a woman from a nostalgic past that never existed, while women seek a man from an idealized social media fantasy.
- Dating apps share the same user pool and create illusions of perfect partners to keep users swiping and spending.
- Technology enables connection, but true love requires putting devices away and talking in person.
- Some users may prefer ongoing dates without long-term commitment, which apps cater to.
- The user's response adds that men want to be cared for like childhood, and women want a volunteer for multiple services, neither sustainable long-term.

dating apps

Dating: A mysterious constellation of facts

Make product worse, get money

The Dating App Plot Device