It’s just been the most romantic time of the year, love is in the air and so is the buzz of a new dating app.
When we think about online dating we think of the swiping, the messaging, and the anticipation of seeing if we’ve wasted another evening or finally found the one…and while we can’t deny the fun of using these apps, it can still feel a bit like a chore.
I love a romance film. Just watching two people fall in love through the old traditional ways; seeing a spark when they catch someone’s eye, building up the courage to ask them out, going on a date with no expectation of who they are but a lot of expectation for where it could lead. It feels so spontaneous and exciting and after two years practically locked inside, I think I can speak for most of us when I say we want this back in our lives.
There are a number of apps that have entered the scene to disrupt the typical swipe left or swipe right formula and add some of this Tradition back into the dating world with a twist of Stimulation, Hedonism and Achievement. Online dating is such a personal experience and a house of so many emotions where different things work for different people.
If you’re a TikTok user you might’ve seen the latest dating app trend. Hinge has introduced voice message answers to their questions (a bit like the old days of talking over the phone) so we can put a voice to a photo and it’s taken the internet by storm. The opportunity to leave a funny voice message answer hasn’t gone amiss and people are even using sound effects to elevate their answers. We’ve heard many things from candid laughter tracks to the sound of someone slipping on a banana. It’s a whole new dating experience and has brought back some humour, joy and entertainment that’s felt to be missing.
Coffee Meets Bagel, although focused on the more serious daters, skips the small talk stage and gets to the fun through creative ice breaker questions specifically personalised to the users…and you can even earn currency (virtual coffee beans). More beans = more profile exposure or the chance to grab someone’s attention. They say ‘love don’t come easy’ and on this app, you’ve got to work for it (unless you pay for beans of course). It’s all about Achievement & fun, working to earn dates and potentially find your Prince (or Princess) Charming…
There’s definitely been a switch in how dating apps are working but there’s one new app that’s caught the attention of many these past few weeks.
‘Thursday’ doesn’t launch until the 6th of May in London and New York but it’s already got people talking. Introduced as the 'dating app that doesn't work 85.7% of the time' its aim is to get rid of the seriousness around dating and remind people that it can just be a fun experience.
“Dating is not something we have to do. It’s not a chore. Finding a ‘happily ever after’ is not a race or something that should be taken so seriously. We should approach dating like it is something we want to do — something to look forward to!”
So how does it work? Well, as the name suggests, this dating app pings to life every Thursday for 24 hours only. Once the day is up anyone you’ve matched with or messaged disappears so you’ve got to get in quick.
The idea of meeting someone you’ve only just met, although slightly scary, is also exciting. Could this be the solution to those online dating ‘Pen Pals’ (as my friends like to call them), the people you message for months but never actually meet…and the great thing is there are no expectations, no built-up images of who this person is, just an air of mystery about the person you started talking to a few hours ago.
It reminds me of how people used to date, putting us back into the real world rather than just typing to each other through a screen. It’s a mix of old and new traditions, almost like a blind date… but instead of your friends setting you up together, it’s an app. And it’s creating more joy, more of a buzz, more anticipation in the dating world.
According to the app, over 110,000 users have already signed up and waiting for launch day… could Thursday be the new Friday? A night of fun, anticipation in the air, waiting to see what the next few hours have in store. We’ll be listening out, eagerly waiting, for people’s stories on their Thursday experiences.
Whatever your twist on dating apps may be, we’ve seen emotional rewards playing a big part in the brands and apps people choose to engage with. We’ve seen more people seeking out ways to live Hedonism and Stimulation and even reinventing their own Traditions to fit in with how they want to live life. It feels like these values are leading the way for what humans are choosing.
Bye for now,
Shems - Research Manager, One Minute To Midnight
Comments