Generation Z is deleting dating apps!
Generation Z wants to find love, but is dissatisfied with digital options.
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Believe it or not, Gen Z is tired of scrolling, especially if it's on a dating app.
Recent reports show that online dating has lost favor with young adults, who say they prefer to meet potential romantic partners in person.
There are many reasons for user burnout: security concerns, misleading profiles, the phenomenon of ghosting , and more.
It seems that Generation Z is particularly unprepared for dating apps — or dating in general. Dating app Hinge recently released a study of Generation Z users that found that nearly half have little or no dating experience, and they are 47% more likely than millennial users to say that the pandemic has made them nervous about talking to new people.
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This social anxiety is compounded by the popular belief among Generation Z that there is only one true soul for each person. Consider these statistics in the context of an emerging loneliness epidemic, and you have a serious dating app burnout problem on your hands.
Utah-based dating app Mutual is trying to make the online experience more positive for Generation Z users.
“Burnout is something that every dating app faces — and not just dating apps,” said Mutual President Michael Patterson. “People spend a lot of time on their phones.”
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People are feeling exhausted from social media, the overwhelming amount of information available online, and the lack of time outside, Patterson said. Throw a dating app into that digital mix, and of course you're going to see user burnout.
“Generation Z needs a solution that is more efficient,” Patterson said. In his opinion, apps lose their way when they forget that their purpose is to be a tool, not a waste of time.
Going through profiles on a dating app can be time-consuming — especially when each profile feels like a puzzle you have to decode.
To simplify swiping, Mutual requires all users to be verified to reduce security concerns. The company has also added features like “shared features” and a profile redesign that asks users to enter a little more personal information.
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When thinking about burnout, Patterson said it’s also important to remember that for most people, dating is cyclical. It’s common for users to be active on Mutual for a month or two, then step away for a while — either because they started dating someone or because they just want a break. Over the course of several years, many users will return to the app multiple times in short bursts of activity.
That was the case for Chloe Tolson, who downloaded the Mutual app for a few months during her freshman year of college. She took a break for a few years, then downloaded the app again in 2023 — this time, it only took her three weeks of swiping to meet her future husband.
"I think (dating apps) are definitely effective if you're open-minded about it," she said. "They definitely don't always lead to long-term relationships, but I feel like I was very lucky that mine did."
For others, dating apps can be an exhausting acrobatics. “It took so much energy and time to keep up,” said Mutual user Robyn Watson.
Watson didn't like swiping based on quick judgments, which were often wrong — she usually ended up dating people who weren't her type. It was "a lot of first dates," she said.
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In response to users like Watson, Mutual is rolling out a new speed-dating feature that will compress the “sometimes grueling experience” of waiting for a match or response, Patterson said. Users have the option to join a 15-minute online session, where they can exchange messages with people they’re interested in for five minutes each.
"At the end of it, you can decide if you want to continue talking to that person or move on," Patterson said.
At the end of the day, Mutual's biggest advantage is probably its niche demographic, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For some users, the app is the only place they can go to meet people with similar values — with or without burnout.
Source: ksl.com
