Why Gen Z and other generations are Moving Away from Dating Apps
A photo of singles at a We Met IRL speed dating event
I started hosting speed dating events for my business, We Met IRL, in New York City in February of 2022, and since then I’ve witnessed a huge increase in speed dating events across not only my city, but all across the world. I’d like to share my perspective on why dating events have become so trendy recently; I will share both my personal observations, and some statistics from different organizations that have presented data.
In 2021, I was fed up with dating apps. I was 25 then, and I felt like I was ready to start looking for “my person”, but online dating wasn’t giving what it was supposed to give! I imagined dating in my mid-20s, being wined and dined, going on fun dates, and receiving some semblance of the romantic displays that I had seen in movies, on television, and on TikTok. In reality, I was experiencing boring conversations online, invitations to “just get drinks”, and noticeable fear whenever I mentioned that I was looking for a relationship. It seemed like everyone was embracing the so-called “hookup culture”, and I was so over it.
Hosting my first speed dating event in 2022, and meeting my now-ex around that time, marked a turning point. I left dating apps behind and never looked back. Two years later, more and more people seem to be following the same path, abandoning online dating to meet people in real life.
Photo of Bumble’s April 2024 social media rebrand, Credit: @Bumble Instagram via Ad Age
One major indicator of this cultural shift was the Bumble app mishap this past spring. In late April of 2024, Bumble announced a rebrand, saying that dating needed a “wake-up call”. The social media announcement featured images of tired-looking women in Renaissance-era paintings, alluding to the fact that women are “exhausted from the dating scene.”
Following the social media posts, Bumble released several billboards that received major backlash. Some of the most controversial copy included, “Thous shalt not give up on dating and become a nun”, and “A vow of celibacy is not the answer”. For an app designed with women in mind, these ads seemed far removed from their mission of supporting and empowering women in the dating scene. To me, it was clear that even popular apps like Bumble were noticing a shift in contemporary dating culture and losing users because of it.
Now let’s look at some numbers. According to the 2024 Niche to Meet You Trend report by Eventbrite, more than half of daters, including 54% of Gen Z and 53% of Millennials, say it’s hard to start or continue meaningful conversations online. Additionally, according to a 2023 Statista survey, millennial daters, aged 30 to 49, make up 61% of dating app users, whereas Gen-Z comes in at only 26%. Finally, Match Group and Bumble have lost more than $40 billion in market value since 2021. These facts, combined with the surge in dating content online, create the perfect storm for a newcomer: singles events.
I hosted my first speed dating event in New York City in February of 2022. I posted a TikTok recap of the event, and it went super viral online. Since 2022, I’ve noticed so many other singles events popping up around America, and even other countries! I’m glad we’re leading the trend when it comes to IRL dating events, and I hope that plenty of options will remain for people to date and meet people in real life, offline. I don’t think dating apps are on their way out, but I do think there will continue to be a call for alternatives to these platforms.
Thanks for reading,
Maxine
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