1 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:06,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to stuff mom never told you. From how Supports 2 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: dot Com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Kristen 3 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 1: and I'm Caroline, And today we are revisiting in fact, 4 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 1: online dating, which we talked about a few years ago now, 5 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:27,120 Speaker 1: but already we need to talk about it again because 6 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:33,160 Speaker 1: online dating has changed, is continually changing, Caroline, by how 7 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 1: the times have changed. Yeah, the last time we talked 8 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:39,159 Speaker 1: about it, it was in the what is considered the 9 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: second phase of online dating, which was kind of the 10 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: the heyday of the algorithm based websites like e Harmony 11 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:54,000 Speaker 1: and okay cubid, which, yeah, they're still around today, but folks, 12 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: we've gone mobile. We are apt crazy. Yeah, no more 13 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 1: reading through say is about someone's cats. No, now you 14 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: just get to pick somebody for the night based on 15 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:10,400 Speaker 1: their picture or four days after the night. You know. 16 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: That's however you want to use it. Um, I will 17 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 1: say that although I am gonna commit in loving relationship. 18 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: About a month or so ago, UM, my boyfriend I 19 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:24,959 Speaker 1: were hanging out with some friends and somehow we got 20 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: on the topic of online dating. All of us at 21 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: the table, by the way, we're you know, all in relationships, 22 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: and we started talking about Tinder, because everybody's on Tinder. 23 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: It's like the hot new thing, and we're like, you 24 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:38,760 Speaker 1: know what, let's just let's just see what Tinders about. 25 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,080 Speaker 1: So we all got out our smartphones and downloaded Tinder. 26 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 1: And it's so simple to use because all you need 27 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 1: is a Facebook account, so you don't have to set 28 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: up anything. So five ten minutes later, we're all on Tinder, 29 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 1: just swiping through people's images, and it was it was 30 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 1: just interesting to see how it worked. And for is 31 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: unfamiliar with Tinder, which is the fastest growing free online 32 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: dating app right now, all you do is swipe photos. 33 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 1: I think you swipe to the left if you don't 34 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:13,360 Speaker 1: want them, and you swipe to the right if you 35 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 1: do think someone's attractive, and if you both. If you 36 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,639 Speaker 1: swipe someone and you think he's attractive or she and 37 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: he or she thinks you're attractive back, then you can 38 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:28,919 Speaker 1: start chatting and then maybe meet up. I had never 39 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:33,920 Speaker 1: even heard of this until a friend of mine, dude roommate, 40 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:37,360 Speaker 1: was actually doling out advice to this female friend of his, 41 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:39,919 Speaker 1: and he was telling me about it, and he's like, yeah, 42 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 1: she's on Tender, Da da da da, and I'm like, what, 43 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: I don't even know what is that? What is that? 44 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 1: And um, the impression I got from the description is 45 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 1: that Tender is like Grinder, and it is kind of 46 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 1: like Grinder, but it has had nowhere near the same numbers, 47 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:00,200 Speaker 1: I would think, But it gave me like this ick 48 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: factor to hear about it, because as like a as 49 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 1: a veteran of online dating, Kristen, Uh, you know, I 50 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: mean I think there's I feel like Tinder almost has 51 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: different purposes. Yeah, I mean there's definitely more of I 52 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:18,360 Speaker 1: think probably because Grinder is which is for specifically for 53 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 1: gay guys, um, because it's so associated with hooking up 54 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 1: that Tinder is similarly thought of as more of a 55 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,640 Speaker 1: hook up app and hey, more power to hook up apps. 56 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:32,080 Speaker 1: If that's what you're looking for, that's totally fine. But 57 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 1: it also is reflective to me of how we're using 58 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:40,120 Speaker 1: the internet more and more of just visual based scrolling 59 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: through photos and that's kind of all. We just want 60 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:45,320 Speaker 1: a quick hit. We don't want to read very much. 61 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: We want to be able. It's instant gratification. We want 62 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: to be able to swipe and yeah, and then Tinder, 63 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 1: I mean you swipe and like they're there before we 64 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 1: get into our online dating convo. I mean, Karen, you 65 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 1: are a success story mind dating. Yeah. Yeah. My boyfriend 66 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 1: likes to joke that he tells people that we met 67 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 1: at the dog park because we don't have dogs, but um, yeah, 68 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:15,120 Speaker 1: we met over a year ago on okay Cupid. And 69 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 1: it's funny he and I both when we're out together 70 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: sometimes like at a bar, or at a restaurant or wherever, 71 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 1: music festival, whatever, we will both see people a that 72 00:04:25,839 --> 00:04:28,600 Speaker 1: we went on dates with that we're unsuccessful, but be 73 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:32,279 Speaker 1: that we just recognize their faces from seeing them over 74 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: and over again as suggestions on okay Cupid. Yeah, it's 75 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 1: it's funny how online dating opens up this vast new 76 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 1: world but also can make your world so much smaller 77 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 1: because the yeah, exactly. There have been times when I'll 78 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 1: be out and I'll be like I'll start to literally 79 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: like go up to somebody and be like, hey, I 80 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:54,159 Speaker 1: know you, are you a friend of And then I'm like, no, nope, 81 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:57,839 Speaker 1: senior profile nope. And then it's funny when you have 82 00:04:57,960 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: seen the person's profile and then you see the mountain 83 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:05,520 Speaker 1: public and you're like, you're lying on your profile, brushing 84 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:09,279 Speaker 1: or yeah, or you're yeah, we're not you're not that tall, 85 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 1: air brushing or fact brushing yeah yeah uh. And honestly, Caroline, 86 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 1: part of me wishes this could just be an episode 87 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 1: of you and I swopping combine dating stories because I 88 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,920 Speaker 1: went through an online dating phase as well. I didn't 89 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:27,080 Speaker 1: have as much success with it long term. Um, but 90 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:30,280 Speaker 1: it was it was fascinating though it almost felt like 91 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:34,360 Speaker 1: an anthropological experiment. Well, I mean, you know, to talk 92 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:39,880 Speaker 1: about the weirdness of online dating, Kristen and I, personal note, 93 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:43,839 Speaker 1: actually went out with the same person. Yes, we did 94 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: not at the same time, at the same time. This 95 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:49,040 Speaker 1: was it was. There was a lot of time in between, 96 00:05:49,839 --> 00:05:54,600 Speaker 1: but once we realized it, it was odd, funny. It 97 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 1: was funny. I think, Um, I think he, out of 98 00:05:57,680 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 1: the three of us involved in the situation, I think 99 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:05,279 Speaker 1: he felt the most awkward about it. Yeah, And honestly, 100 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:08,320 Speaker 1: because he felt so awkward, and because I had had 101 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:11,280 Speaker 1: been on some dates with him prior, I felt the 102 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 1: worst because it was like, well, well I did something terrible, 103 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 1: but it's cool. It's cool. I just it's funny. You know, 104 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: you talk about online dating sites and app some things 105 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:24,679 Speaker 1: making the world so much smaller. That's that's a pretty 106 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:26,479 Speaker 1: good example. It was. It was, it was a pretty 107 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:30,480 Speaker 1: good example. Um. But since actually since the last time 108 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:32,680 Speaker 1: we talked about online dating, which I believe was in 109 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:38,520 Speaker 1: two thousand nine, more people are trying online dating. Um. So, 110 00:06:38,839 --> 00:06:42,479 Speaker 1: the Pew Research Center did a whole report on this 111 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:45,120 Speaker 1: that came out in October of two thousand thirteen, and 112 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:49,039 Speaker 1: it was just flush with statistics, the main one of 113 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:52,320 Speaker 1: which is that eleven percent, which doesn't sound like a lot, 114 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 1: but that's eleven of all Internet users, which represents nine 115 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 1: percent of all American adults say that they have personally 116 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:03,839 Speaker 1: used an online dating site. Yeah, and seven percent coming 117 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:07,799 Speaker 1: in behind that, seven percent of cell phone app users 118 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 1: say that they have used a dating app on their 119 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: cell phone. Now, I I used the Okay, Cupid dating 120 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 1: apps more and more, really just to entertain myself, like 121 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:19,680 Speaker 1: when I was on the train or driving him from 122 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 1: work or whatever, not so much as like an obsessive 123 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:25,160 Speaker 1: tool to use. But I didn't use any of these 124 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:28,880 Speaker 1: like locating services or anything, because part of me just 125 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 1: finds that absurdly creepy. Well, that's one of the reasons why. Well, 126 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:35,280 Speaker 1: we'll get we'll get into that I can't. I don't 127 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:37,880 Speaker 1: want to jump ahead of myself because there's so much 128 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 1: to talk about. Um, but I will say that that 129 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 1: mobile statistic is only going to increase. Yeah, the future 130 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:48,600 Speaker 1: is mobile people. UM. So another statistic, percent of US 131 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 1: adults who are classified as single and ready to mingle, 132 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 1: that's the official demographic term. UH of us have used 133 00:07:57,400 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 1: online or mobile dating services. And this is important. Sixty 134 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:05,119 Speaker 1: percent of us have actually gone on face to face 135 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 1: dates because a lot of people who are on online 136 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:11,880 Speaker 1: dating sites are never gonna meet up with you. They 137 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:14,080 Speaker 1: just kind of use it to look, see what's out there, 138 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:19,080 Speaker 1: maybe flirt, maybe creep a little bit. Um. And that 139 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:22,400 Speaker 1: is up from forty three percent of people who actually 140 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 1: went on face to face dates from two thousand five. 141 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:27,840 Speaker 1: So at least we're at least we're hanging out together more. 142 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:31,120 Speaker 1: And by hanging out, I mean dot dot dot Yeah, 143 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:33,360 Speaker 1: and I think i'm you know, we'll talk about attitudes, 144 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:35,600 Speaker 1: but I think part of that is that as online 145 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:40,079 Speaker 1: dating becomes more normal, more expected, you know, more of 146 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: us are more likely to go out on actual dates. Yeah, 147 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:45,559 Speaker 1: instead of just sit on the website and look. And 148 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:50,439 Speaker 1: there is long term romantic success associated with online dating 149 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: pent up from in two thousand five of online daters 150 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:58,439 Speaker 1: say that they have met a spouse or long term 151 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:04,960 Speaker 1: relationship through the site. But that is among straight online daters. 152 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:10,559 Speaker 1: For people in LGBT relationships, y'all are online dating like crazy. 153 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:15,199 Speaker 1: According to two thousand ten data from Stanford University, sixty 154 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:20,360 Speaker 1: of LGBT couples are meeting online. And that's a trend. 155 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:23,160 Speaker 1: That's that was existent too. I remember when we were 156 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 1: first talking about this, but uh, yeah, it's pretty interesting. Yeah, absolutely, 157 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:30,920 Speaker 1: And the numbers are biggest, really this is this is 158 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:33,640 Speaker 1: a young person's game. That the numbers are biggest among 159 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: young people, but the fastest growing demographic is fifty five 160 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:39,000 Speaker 1: and older. Yeah, I mean, and you gotta keep in mind, 161 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:41,680 Speaker 1: like wow, the fact of the matter is if you're younger, 162 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:47,600 Speaker 1: you're likelier to have used online dating. But people fifty 163 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:51,679 Speaker 1: five and up are the fastest growing online daters, probably 164 00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:56,560 Speaker 1: because of things like divorce, widowhood. Um, and it's becoming 165 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:59,000 Speaker 1: I mean, just to show how normative this is becoming. 166 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:02,840 Speaker 1: You know the fact that older folks are doing it, 167 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:05,360 Speaker 1: that's when you know that it's like an accepted thing 168 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:08,520 Speaker 1: to do, just like Facebook kind of yeah. Um. Well, 169 00:10:08,559 --> 00:10:11,480 Speaker 1: as far as people who are now married or in 170 00:10:11,559 --> 00:10:14,679 Speaker 1: long term committed relationships, younger people are more likely to 171 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:18,440 Speaker 1: say that those relationships began online. So that's eight percent 172 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:21,079 Speaker 1: of eight married and committed eighteen to twenty nine year 173 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,559 Speaker 1: olds first, as for instance, three percent of fifty to 174 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:26,720 Speaker 1: sixty four year olds. But as progressive as it seems 175 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,320 Speaker 1: like online dating is because it's opened up all these 176 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 1: avenues for different people to meet, and you know, kind 177 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:36,160 Speaker 1: of open up dating worlds that were previously closed off, 178 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:39,680 Speaker 1: especially if you live in a smaller town, smaller community. Um, 179 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:45,320 Speaker 1: but one, there's one area where online dating reflects how 180 00:10:45,520 --> 00:10:49,439 Speaker 1: we are maybe negatively stuck in our ways. This was 181 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:52,480 Speaker 1: a study that was published in November two thirteen in 182 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:56,640 Speaker 1: the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which found that, 183 00:10:56,840 --> 00:11:00,199 Speaker 1: based on okay Cupid data that they had collected, but 184 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:04,040 Speaker 1: in general, we tend to date people of our same race. 185 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:08,280 Speaker 1: We are not very adventurous when it comes to reaching 186 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:11,560 Speaker 1: out to people who don't necessarily look exactly like us. Yeah, 187 00:11:11,559 --> 00:11:14,320 Speaker 1: but it was interesting what they found. It's that it 188 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:17,680 Speaker 1: seems like there's this like little barrier, uh that doesn't 189 00:11:17,679 --> 00:11:19,640 Speaker 1: even seem like a brick wall. It seems more like 190 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:23,520 Speaker 1: a rickety fence that's kind of blocking us from going 191 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 1: out with people or dating people of different races. Um. 192 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:30,040 Speaker 1: The researchers found that we might be limiting our choices 193 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:33,120 Speaker 1: out of a fear that we're not attractive to people 194 00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:37,240 Speaker 1: of other races, and they found that once people had 195 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 1: been approached by somebody from a different race or had 196 00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:42,480 Speaker 1: gotten a response from someone from a different race, they 197 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:45,680 Speaker 1: were then more likely to initiate contact or respond to 198 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:49,760 Speaker 1: someone from that same race in the future. These people 199 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:55,040 Speaker 1: logged one and fifteen percent more interracial exchanges during this 200 00:11:55,120 --> 00:11:58,079 Speaker 1: two and a half month Okay Cupid study than people 201 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:02,000 Speaker 1: of a similar background who had not been contacted by 202 00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:05,240 Speaker 1: a person from another race. So basically, it sounds like 203 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:09,439 Speaker 1: if we use online dating as a tool to branch 204 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:14,880 Speaker 1: out a bit, it can have some interesting and diversifying effects. Yeah. Um. 205 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:19,240 Speaker 1: Although one finding was that overwhelmingly the people of all 206 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:23,480 Speaker 1: the demographics male female the likeliest to receive a response 207 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:26,880 Speaker 1: from a message or white men. Yet again, great to 208 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:30,280 Speaker 1: be a white man, but speaking of white guys, um, 209 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:32,840 Speaker 1: Asian women did not fit the trend of kind of 210 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:35,559 Speaker 1: staying within their own ethnic group. As far as responding 211 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:39,800 Speaker 1: two messages, um Asian women were more likely to contact 212 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:43,000 Speaker 1: white men than other Asian guys. And Kevin Lewis, who 213 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:46,480 Speaker 1: is a University of California, San Diego sociologist who led 214 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:50,120 Speaker 1: the study, noted that quote, scholars have found it hard 215 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:53,600 Speaker 1: to qualify how much of self segregation in the dating 216 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:57,120 Speaker 1: pool has to do with internal prejudice versus structural issues 217 00:12:57,160 --> 00:13:01,680 Speaker 1: in an already segregated society. So so, in other words, 218 00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:07,000 Speaker 1: they're not entirely sure whether you know what's going on. 219 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:10,040 Speaker 1: Essentially that keeps us sort of self segregating over and 220 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 1: over again. But they say, it's heartening to see how 221 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:17,440 Speaker 1: the statistics show that once you know that that we're 222 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:20,320 Speaker 1: open to interracial dating, and especially I mean, if we 223 00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:24,880 Speaker 1: just look at millennials and attitudes towards interracial relationships, we 224 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:28,800 Speaker 1: are by far the most like open and accepting of them. Yeah, 225 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 1: so all it takes just just start messaging different types 226 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:34,480 Speaker 1: of people and see what happened. And hey, you know what, 227 00:13:34,559 --> 00:13:36,520 Speaker 1: for all the people out there who think millennials are 228 00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:41,960 Speaker 1: rotten and selfish and lazy, we're open minded. So and 229 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:46,079 Speaker 1: that's been my commercial for millennials. Um, but let's talk 230 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:51,240 Speaker 1: about the attitudes towards online dating, because when it first started, 231 00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:52,880 Speaker 1: I think a lot of people were maybe a little 232 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:55,880 Speaker 1: hesitant to say that they met via online dating. There 233 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:58,760 Speaker 1: was this idea that, oh, well, you have to resort 234 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:01,400 Speaker 1: to online dating because you just you can't meet people 235 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:04,559 Speaker 1: in real life. What's wrong with you? Answer nothing or 236 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 1: answer you're busy. Um. And this Pew research has also 237 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:14,560 Speaker 1: shown that online dating is more positively viewed than it 238 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 1: was just a few years ago. In two thousand five, yeah, 239 00:14:18,880 --> 00:14:22,400 Speaker 1: of all Internet users, not just online daters, agree that 240 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:24,400 Speaker 1: online dating is a good way to meet people. That's 241 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:29,360 Speaker 1: up from in two thousand five, and talking about specifically 242 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:33,640 Speaker 1: online dats, seventy nine percent of actual online dators agree 243 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:35,040 Speaker 1: that it's a good way to meet people, so not 244 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:39,520 Speaker 1: agree that it's a good way to meet people. Seventy 245 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:43,280 Speaker 1: percent of online daters agree that online dating allows you 246 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:46,080 Speaker 1: to find a better match for yourself, but a lot 247 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:50,760 Speaker 1: of people are still skeptical. Of all Internet users agree 248 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:54,600 Speaker 1: that people who use online dating fits are desperate, although 249 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:57,080 Speaker 1: that is down from pent who thought you were desperate? 250 00:14:57,080 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 1: In two thousand, five percent of online daters agree that 251 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 1: online dating is desperate, so they're basically saying, yes, I'm desperate. 252 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:07,760 Speaker 1: I'm desperate, and I'm going to find a freaking date 253 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:12,280 Speaker 1: of us. Um. And even though online dating is definitely 254 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:15,480 Speaker 1: perceived as you know, more normative, like fine thing for 255 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:20,000 Speaker 1: you to do, it's not all that grand, especially if 256 00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:25,120 Speaker 1: you are a woman and online dating, because negative experiences 257 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:29,000 Speaker 1: absolutely exists, whether it's things like cat fishing or misrepresentation 258 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:32,400 Speaker 1: or getting creepy messages from people. That was one thing 259 00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:36,600 Speaker 1: that I definitely don't miss about Okay Cupid getting messages 260 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:40,840 Speaker 1: from guys that were just rude or highly inappropriate. I 261 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:44,040 Speaker 1: would get these obscene messages and I got great joy 262 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:46,479 Speaker 1: at first. I was like, oh god, it's so offensive, 263 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:49,440 Speaker 1: and like it makes my brain hurt. I just started 264 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:52,160 Speaker 1: editing there. I mean, I have an editing background, so 265 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:53,880 Speaker 1: I just edit their messages and send it back to 266 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:56,200 Speaker 1: them and I said, here's the edited version of your message. 267 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:59,160 Speaker 1: And that did not so well. I have a feeling 268 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:01,520 Speaker 1: it would not so well at all. Um. So fift 269 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:07,360 Speaker 1: of online data is report negative experiences. Though of women 270 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:10,400 Speaker 1: report having been contacted by someone through an online dating 271 00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:12,880 Speaker 1: site or app in a way that made them feel 272 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:18,800 Speaker 1: harass or uncomfortable. You and I are compared to only 273 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:23,080 Speaker 1: sevent of men. So maybe just a note. I mean, 274 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:26,280 Speaker 1: this is a very heteronormative thing to say, but maybe 275 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:28,360 Speaker 1: just a note to guys out there, just, you know, 276 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:32,160 Speaker 1: don't be creepy on online dating. Yeah, but you know what, 277 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:33,960 Speaker 1: the guys who are going to be creepy and online 278 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:36,160 Speaker 1: dating are going to be creepy. I r L two 279 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:38,800 Speaker 1: in real life, and this is true. Um, But I 280 00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:41,760 Speaker 1: think the fact of the matter is, as much as 281 00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:43,680 Speaker 1: we still love to talk about online dating and it's 282 00:16:43,680 --> 00:16:49,560 Speaker 1: still treated, especially in this newer era of app driven dating, 283 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:54,440 Speaker 1: it's still reported on so often as a trend. But 284 00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:56,160 Speaker 1: the fact of the matter is, and this was one 285 00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:59,120 Speaker 1: thing that, for instance, Maureen O'Connor New York Magazine pointed out, 286 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,160 Speaker 1: how can you really call it a trend, especially for 287 00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:05,639 Speaker 1: people of our age, Caroline, I don't, I really don't know. 288 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:07,439 Speaker 1: I can think of one person off the top of 289 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 1: my head who has been in a relationship long enough 290 00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:14,000 Speaker 1: that she hasn't used online dating. But I just feel 291 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:18,480 Speaker 1: like online dating is dating. Yeah. I my boyfriend has 292 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:23,359 Speaker 1: a younger friend who is in law school, who uses 293 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:26,480 Speaker 1: online dating. And my my initial response to that was like, 294 00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:29,600 Speaker 1: what is his problem? Why can't he get a date? 295 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:31,800 Speaker 1: He's surrounded by all these other students. And then I, 296 00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:34,360 Speaker 1: you know, I thought about an a law school. You're 297 00:17:34,359 --> 00:17:36,800 Speaker 1: incredibly busy, you're studying all the time, you're working really 298 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:40,200 Speaker 1: hard to you know, become an attorney and whatnot. But 299 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:43,240 Speaker 1: it is, it's like such a it's so in the 300 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:45,800 Speaker 1: culture now that even college students are doing it. In 301 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:47,520 Speaker 1: college is supposed to be at the time when it's 302 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:50,280 Speaker 1: like the easiest to date and make friends because you're 303 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:53,240 Speaker 1: surrounded by people like you, Well, would you rather go 304 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:55,800 Speaker 1: to a party? And well, it's also it's going to 305 00:17:55,920 --> 00:17:59,639 Speaker 1: depend on your introversion or extra version. But it's like, Okay, 306 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:02,280 Speaker 1: you can go out of your way to strike up 307 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:04,040 Speaker 1: a conversation with someone, to go to a party, go 308 00:18:04,119 --> 00:18:08,160 Speaker 1: to a mixer, go to a show, or you could 309 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:12,280 Speaker 1: download an app and start swiping away on the bus 310 00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:16,159 Speaker 1: in downtime and class in your pajamas while you're on 311 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:18,399 Speaker 1: the toilet. Let's be honest, I'm sure that happens all 312 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:21,399 Speaker 1: the time. Um So, I think that convenience is a 313 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:25,240 Speaker 1: big part of it. But before we get into the 314 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:28,320 Speaker 1: few what what this implies to our face to face 315 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:33,240 Speaker 1: dating lives. First, let's take a trip back in time 316 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:36,359 Speaker 1: to the history of online dating how we got to 317 00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:39,200 Speaker 1: where we are now, because there's some pretty fascinating milestones 318 00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:43,240 Speaker 1: way back from college students in the late nineteen fifties 319 00:18:43,320 --> 00:18:46,399 Speaker 1: tinkering around with old school computers, all the way up 320 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:50,720 Speaker 1: to today in the era of Grinder and Tender. And 321 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:54,520 Speaker 1: we'll come right back with that info after a quick break. 322 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:02,160 Speaker 1: So where we get into the future of online dating, 323 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:04,040 Speaker 1: we've got to talk about the past, see where we 324 00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:08,560 Speaker 1: have come from, And essentially we came from way back 325 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:13,000 Speaker 1: in the seventeen hundreds the emergence of printing, and pretty 326 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:15,040 Speaker 1: pretty much as soon as people started printing things, they 327 00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:18,879 Speaker 1: started printing personal ads looking for mates. Right, So, you guys, 328 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,160 Speaker 1: it's never been easy, it's really Yeah, dating has always 329 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:24,480 Speaker 1: been the worst. It's been kind of the worst and 330 00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:27,800 Speaker 1: a bit of a conundrum, especially in times where maybe 331 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:33,040 Speaker 1: there are imbalanced sex ratios or you're in a remote place. Um, 332 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:36,439 Speaker 1: So we've always basically been on the hunt for mates 333 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:39,239 Speaker 1: and have been trying to use services to help us 334 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:42,760 Speaker 1: do that. So for a long time, personal ads were it. 335 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:45,840 Speaker 1: And it's interesting that the nineties seventies were apparently the 336 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:49,880 Speaker 1: heyday of personal ads, even though only about one percent 337 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:53,040 Speaker 1: of married couples of the time actually met through personal ads. 338 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:56,880 Speaker 1: That was kind of kind of hottest away to outside 339 00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:59,800 Speaker 1: of meeting people just face to face. Um, that was 340 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:03,480 Speaker 1: folks did. And in the nineteen eighties, Caroline, welcome to 341 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:06,439 Speaker 1: video dating. Oh god, I want to see some of 342 00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:09,440 Speaker 1: those videos. How many do you think had mullets? How 343 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:14,280 Speaker 1: many do you think we're wearing neon or windbreaker suits? 344 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:16,639 Speaker 1: I just I'm so I want to watch these so 345 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:20,680 Speaker 1: badly Google that. I mean, it's it's Internet gold for today. 346 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:25,400 Speaker 1: But even by the seventies and the eighties, computer dating, 347 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:29,159 Speaker 1: like the very earliest kind of computer program set up 348 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:33,760 Speaker 1: to match people had already started a while before. Yeah, 349 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:37,680 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty nine, there was a Stanford University class project 350 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:41,320 Speaker 1: in a math course called Happy Families Planning Services, which 351 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:45,040 Speaker 1: sounds almost sinister to me. It does, um, but they 352 00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:48,760 Speaker 1: programmed an IBM six fifty computer with forty nine men 353 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:53,200 Speaker 1: and women's personal data to match them up. One marriage 354 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:55,520 Speaker 1: came out of that, okay, and I got an A 355 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 1: in the class side note, Um, so that's one of 356 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:02,160 Speaker 1: the earliest kind of grassroots algorithms set up to try 357 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 1: to match people. And although once they h it didn't 358 00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:09,479 Speaker 1: work too well because they had these forty nine men 359 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:13,000 Speaker 1: forty nine women, and it would start out with like 360 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:15,520 Speaker 1: the top tiers, so the people who matched really well 361 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:17,720 Speaker 1: were perfect. So by the time you got down to 362 00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:21,440 Speaker 1: like the man and woman, it was basically like, well, 363 00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 1: you you're both breathing, go hang out. You have all 364 00:21:27,119 --> 00:21:29,960 Speaker 1: the necessary bits. Yeah, so so not the most perfect 365 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:34,240 Speaker 1: also very small sample size, but not the most perfect algorithm. 366 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:37,719 Speaker 1: But then you see in NIVE this thing called operation 367 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:41,160 Speaker 1: match pops up among a group of Harvard students who 368 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:46,880 Speaker 1: set up a similar personality based um computer dating system. 369 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:50,480 Speaker 1: But the problem with all these super old school computer 370 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:54,359 Speaker 1: services was that the computers were so slow. They had 371 00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:57,560 Speaker 1: a really hard time processing all of this data about 372 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:02,440 Speaker 1: different people. So really they couldn't keep up with demand, 373 00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:07,160 Speaker 1: so they didn't I mean until the technology uh improved 374 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:10,879 Speaker 1: online dating just obviously online dating couldn't happen because the 375 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:14,359 Speaker 1: Internet didn't exist, but this computer based dating couldn't really 376 00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:18,200 Speaker 1: exist until computers were working a little bit faster. Yeah, 377 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:21,800 Speaker 1: and once they were. We have three phases, starting with 378 00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:25,000 Speaker 1: online personal ad sites that started which started with match 379 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:29,560 Speaker 1: dot com Match, which I also tried, but it wasn't 380 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:32,680 Speaker 1: my cup of tea. Yeah, I know, I've never tried 381 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:38,159 Speaker 1: match now. Um. The second phase of computer based dating 382 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:42,280 Speaker 1: would be algorithm based sites, starting with e Harmony in 383 00:22:42,359 --> 00:22:47,960 Speaker 1: two thousand. Interesting tidbit of useless information. A friend of mine, 384 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:51,879 Speaker 1: like an old coworker, signed up for e harmony and 385 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:54,480 Speaker 1: you don't have to answer like four questions about yourself. 386 00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:59,200 Speaker 1: At the end of like the hour long answering question period, 387 00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:04,159 Speaker 1: e harmony was like, sorry, bro, we can't match you. 388 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:07,320 Speaker 1: But yeah, they did that for a while. If you 389 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:10,359 Speaker 1: were gay, Oh well he that was charming. Yeah, I 390 00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:13,320 Speaker 1: know exactly. He was a straight man looking for a lady. 391 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:17,159 Speaker 1: He is happily married with a son. Now, good for him, congratulations. 392 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:19,960 Speaker 1: But it was almost like I had to laugh to 393 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:21,560 Speaker 1: myself a little bit. That would be that would be 394 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:25,440 Speaker 1: a depressing moment. Super he was super super down about it. Anyway. 395 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:28,800 Speaker 1: Third phase we have that we're in kind of the 396 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:32,679 Speaker 1: thick of is mobile app dating and thanks to the 397 00:23:32,760 --> 00:23:35,480 Speaker 1: launch of the Apple App Store. Yeah, that happened in 398 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:38,200 Speaker 1: two thousand and eight, and we should attribute these three 399 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:42,159 Speaker 1: phases of computer based dating to Eli Finkel, who is 400 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:46,520 Speaker 1: an online dating scholar UM out of Northwestern University. He 401 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:51,359 Speaker 1: also published a really comprehensive study in February two thousand 402 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:55,119 Speaker 1: twelve on more of the science of online dating, looking 403 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:57,399 Speaker 1: at whether or not it actually works. Has it really 404 00:23:57,480 --> 00:24:03,480 Speaker 1: improved our face to face dating outcomes? Um? And And 405 00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:06,199 Speaker 1: we'll get to his findings because again they are not 406 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:10,560 Speaker 1: to overuse word fascinating as I do, but they're quite fascinating, Caroline. UM. 407 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:14,439 Speaker 1: But we have in this time, especially thanks to sites 408 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:17,640 Speaker 1: like okay Cupid that are very data rich and they 409 00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:20,919 Speaker 1: get a lot of information from their users because users 410 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:25,159 Speaker 1: also generate and answer so many questions that it works 411 00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:29,119 Speaker 1: into their algorithm. So we have all of this data 412 00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:32,879 Speaker 1: now about the habits of online datas, what works in 413 00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:37,400 Speaker 1: online dating. Profiles are just kind of how we use 414 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:41,760 Speaker 1: these things. So what have we learned? I mean, aside 415 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 1: from the fact that you can pretty much find an 416 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:48,240 Speaker 1: online dating service or app for any type of person, 417 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:53,159 Speaker 1: I mean, the niche potential is just never ending. And 418 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 1: I love the data pile that okay Cupid has accumulated. Um. 419 00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:00,560 Speaker 1: They talked about men with the highest attractiveness ratings over 420 00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:04,360 Speaker 1: on their website, and those men with the highest ratings 421 00:25:04,359 --> 00:25:11,280 Speaker 1: had the words surfing, surf, yoga, skiing, and the ocean 422 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:15,200 Speaker 1: most often. Yeah, and for women it's London, n y 423 00:25:15,359 --> 00:25:20,119 Speaker 1: C Yoga, surfing an athlete. So, as you might be 424 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:25,480 Speaker 1: guessing right now, surfing and yoga are the hottest pastimes 425 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:27,920 Speaker 1: on okay Cupid. Yeah, so I've got a lot of 426 00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:30,160 Speaker 1: people are like running to their computers and just typing 427 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:33,240 Speaker 1: like surfing and yoga over and over again, photo shopping 428 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 1: a surfboard into their profile. Pick that's taken like in 429 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:42,080 Speaker 1: an indoor location. Probably um radio head side note is 430 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:45,919 Speaker 1: the hottest band. There's also some interesting stuff with language play. 431 00:25:46,119 --> 00:25:50,560 Speaker 1: Cats for instance, is more attractive than my cats. Also, 432 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:56,879 Speaker 1: men who use the word whome more attractive to women. 433 00:25:57,359 --> 00:26:00,000 Speaker 1: And for a little gender e note, it's twenty eight 434 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:02,800 Speaker 1: percent better they found for men to refer to women 435 00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:05,840 Speaker 1: as women compared to referring to them as girls. However, 436 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:09,479 Speaker 1: it is sixteen percent better for women to refer to 437 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:14,600 Speaker 1: themselves as girls rather than women. And that interesting, so interesting, 438 00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:17,880 Speaker 1: So we perceive men more favorably apparently when they refer 439 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:22,000 Speaker 1: to us as women, yet we come across at least 440 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:27,560 Speaker 1: more favorably when we refer to ourselves as girls. Harkens 441 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:31,600 Speaker 1: back to our Ladies podcast. That's right. Well, so talking 442 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:33,720 Speaker 1: about all this data and all these percentages, a lot 443 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:37,040 Speaker 1: of this is hyper focused on straight couples, men and 444 00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:39,639 Speaker 1: women getting together on these sites and these apps. But 445 00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:41,760 Speaker 1: when you look at that staff that we sided earlier, 446 00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:46,280 Speaker 1: that LGBT couples are meeting online, I mean that is significant. 447 00:26:46,359 --> 00:26:49,080 Speaker 1: So let's now look at at the apps and sites 448 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 1: that are dedicated to them. First up, let's talk about Grinder. 449 00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:59,040 Speaker 1: I mean, Grinder is the superstar of dating apps, because 450 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:02,200 Speaker 1: not all only is. I mean, it's been like successful 451 00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:04,680 Speaker 1: numbers wise. A lot of guys use it to find 452 00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:09,640 Speaker 1: other guys, but guys also spend so much time on Grinder. 453 00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:14,280 Speaker 1: I was watching the HBO show looking about its focus 454 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:17,400 Speaker 1: mostly on like gay guys in San Francisco, and much 455 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:20,040 Speaker 1: of the plot line I feels feel like revolves around 456 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:23,440 Speaker 1: them being on Grinder and meeting guys on Grinder and 457 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:26,800 Speaker 1: even played a role in a Girls episode. Yeah yeah, 458 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:29,840 Speaker 1: I mean it's it's kind of a cultural phenomenon. Well 459 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:33,120 Speaker 1: it should be I mean, as of March and amassed 460 00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:36,760 Speaker 1: more than five million users who were spending an average 461 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:40,520 Speaker 1: of ninety minutes a day on it. Guys, ninety minutes 462 00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:42,960 Speaker 1: a day. It's amazing. I know, I feel like you 463 00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:46,679 Speaker 1: could be writing a novel in that time. Um but so, 464 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:49,640 Speaker 1: Jamie Wou wrote a book called Meet Grinder, How One 465 00:27:49,680 --> 00:27:52,520 Speaker 1: App Changed the Way We Connect. Jamie said that it 466 00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:56,399 Speaker 1: has completely and possibly permanently altered the way that app 467 00:27:56,520 --> 00:28:00,600 Speaker 1: developers and users think about location based service is because, 468 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:05,280 Speaker 1: like Tinder, kind of Grinder is sort of the big 469 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:10,040 Speaker 1: brother version that it's like on hyperlocation service steroids. It 470 00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:12,280 Speaker 1: helps you find someone who's nearby so that you can 471 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:18,320 Speaker 1: masically can have coffee. That's yep, that's exactly what I 472 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:22,359 Speaker 1: was about to say. Um but uh Wu talks about 473 00:28:22,400 --> 00:28:25,480 Speaker 1: how the fact that it's so fast and it can 474 00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:29,360 Speaker 1: facilitate intimacy, I'll just put it that way. So fast 475 00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:32,760 Speaker 1: it's immensely appealing in their apps out there, who were 476 00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:36,439 Speaker 1: like tripping over themselves to try to replicate that success. Yeah, 477 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:40,160 Speaker 1: and in the one way that the makers of Grinder 478 00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:43,760 Speaker 1: did not replicate that success so much was with Blender, 479 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:48,320 Speaker 1: which they basically made it as a straight version of Grinder. 480 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:53,560 Speaker 1: But they quickly realized that, oh, this geolocation thing isn't 481 00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:58,800 Speaker 1: as appealing to straight women because men tend to use 482 00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:02,520 Speaker 1: online aiding and online dating sites and apps more often, 483 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:05,160 Speaker 1: They spend more time look at more profiles, I think 484 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:09,440 Speaker 1: three times more profiles than women do. Also, not surprisingly 485 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:14,120 Speaker 1: because of you know, heateronormative dating sort of archetypes, men 486 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:17,600 Speaker 1: are a lot also a lot likelier to initiate contact 487 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:20,520 Speaker 1: with women, and so you combine that with knowing where 488 00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:25,000 Speaker 1: women are, and a lot of women felt very unsafe. Yeah. Yeah. 489 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:26,880 Speaker 1: There was a story in the Boston Globe that talked 490 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:30,480 Speaker 1: about how a lot of industry executives themselves are saying, yeah, 491 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:33,240 Speaker 1: this is one hurdle we don't know how to get around. 492 00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:36,520 Speaker 1: Women just aren't as comfortable being like I am at 493 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:39,960 Speaker 1: this specific address in this specific town, because there are 494 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:42,680 Speaker 1: fears that you will get stocked, or someone will come 495 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:44,760 Speaker 1: find you or watch you, or know where you are. 496 00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:48,080 Speaker 1: I mean, I get creeped out with the location settings 497 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:50,680 Speaker 1: on Instagram. Yeah, I don't. I'm not a huge fan 498 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:54,920 Speaker 1: of of geolocation, so four square, for instance, not my bag. 499 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:57,040 Speaker 1: Some people love it, but I don't. I don't want 500 00:29:57,360 --> 00:29:59,160 Speaker 1: the internet to know where I am at all times. 501 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:01,920 Speaker 1: I don't me there, even though it probably already does 502 00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:08,640 Speaker 1: it for sure? Does somebody's always feel lax? Mark Zuckerberg 503 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:12,040 Speaker 1: is watching us right Now's right? Um So, like we said, 504 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:14,960 Speaker 1: Blender not a successful I mean, they have a ton 505 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:19,520 Speaker 1: of subscribers, but the reason why Tinder has been more 506 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:23,680 Speaker 1: successful is because it's not as focused on Hey, I'm 507 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:28,240 Speaker 1: right here, who's around me right now? Um? So, Grinder 508 00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:30,760 Speaker 1: has been really successful. But there's also been this question 509 00:30:30,840 --> 00:30:34,880 Speaker 1: too of well, is there a way to replicate Grinder 510 00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:39,400 Speaker 1: for lesbians because there hasn't been like massive success in 511 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:42,360 Speaker 1: the same way as Grinder has been so successful for 512 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:47,200 Speaker 1: gay guys for lesbians, and it's partially because there is 513 00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:51,800 Speaker 1: this particular problem that comes up with lesbian targeted dating 514 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:56,440 Speaker 1: apps and sites, and that is cat fishing by street guys. 515 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:00,920 Speaker 1: So awful, man, Come on. Um So, there are a 516 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:05,800 Speaker 1: number of lesbian apps out there. There's Dodged, which originally 517 00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:09,480 Speaker 1: was just a European based app, but it has recently 518 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:12,320 Speaker 1: launched in San Francisco, so you're probably gonna be seeing 519 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:15,240 Speaker 1: it in more areas of the US if it is successful, 520 00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:20,440 Speaker 1: and it has sort of a Pinterest esque uh interface 521 00:31:20,520 --> 00:31:23,640 Speaker 1: where it's focused obviously on a lot of photos, but 522 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:26,760 Speaker 1: it's not just what your face looks like, but also 523 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:29,239 Speaker 1: like things that you like, what your house looks like, 524 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:31,920 Speaker 1: kind of what you're what you're into. And it does 525 00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:36,200 Speaker 1: not emphasize the location services, right, that's a that's another 526 00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 1: hallmark which is interesting to see. Um for these lesbian 527 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:43,360 Speaker 1: dating app models, not any of them. I don't think 528 00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:49,400 Speaker 1: that I've found are as geolocation based as grinder is. 529 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:52,640 Speaker 1: And in addition to dis she's also find her that's 530 00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:56,720 Speaker 1: her with two rs, their Scissor and then my favorite 531 00:31:56,840 --> 00:32:00,719 Speaker 1: of all, and I have not obviously I've not a lesbian. 532 00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:03,680 Speaker 1: I haven't used this site before, but the name just 533 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:09,200 Speaker 1: makes me laugh. It's there's one called Brenda, which and 534 00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:11,720 Speaker 1: I'm I'm laughing about this too because I read a 535 00:32:11,760 --> 00:32:16,240 Speaker 1: review of lesbian dating apps over on the after Ellen 536 00:32:16,720 --> 00:32:21,239 Speaker 1: site and she finally got down to Brenda and her 537 00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:27,080 Speaker 1: comment was essentially like Brenda. Really no offense to Brenda's 538 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:29,920 Speaker 1: out there, but it's not the It's not the sexiest 539 00:32:29,920 --> 00:32:33,880 Speaker 1: sounding app. Sure, it sounds like an eighties businesswoman maybe 540 00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:37,080 Speaker 1: with shoulder pads, maybe doing it some video dating, and 541 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:40,520 Speaker 1: like the founder of Dodge for instance, said like, look, 542 00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:44,200 Speaker 1: you can't just take Grinder and reframe it for women, 543 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:46,560 Speaker 1: Like you can't just make Grinder pink and then gear 544 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:50,240 Speaker 1: it towards women, whether they're straight or lesbians, because women 545 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:52,840 Speaker 1: are just looking for different things from their online and 546 00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:56,000 Speaker 1: app services. Yeah, and it is unfortunate though that that 547 00:32:56,960 --> 00:32:58,760 Speaker 1: I think that was the same developer who said that 548 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:01,400 Speaker 1: they have to be on quote unquote penis duty because 549 00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:07,680 Speaker 1: there are men who will um create fake accounts posing 550 00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:12,160 Speaker 1: as other lesbians and either you know, maybe in a 551 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:14,840 Speaker 1: shape contact, maybe just kind of troll around on the 552 00:33:14,920 --> 00:33:18,160 Speaker 1: site to see who's out there, maybe actually try to 553 00:33:18,240 --> 00:33:21,640 Speaker 1: set up dates to see if these women would be 554 00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:25,920 Speaker 1: interested in having sex with them. Um, So it's a 555 00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:30,040 Speaker 1: it's a big problem for these sites. And Scissor actually 556 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:35,000 Speaker 1: requires a validation plug in that includes personal information to 557 00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:38,840 Speaker 1: ensure that guys aren't infiltrating their ranks. And they emphasize 558 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:41,240 Speaker 1: that this is not an anti man thing at all, 559 00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:43,520 Speaker 1: it's just, hey, we want to make sure that this 560 00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:46,480 Speaker 1: is a safe space for women who are looking for 561 00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:50,640 Speaker 1: women and that should be okay. And so for scissor 562 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:53,520 Speaker 1: for instance, like you have to have a driver's license 563 00:33:53,560 --> 00:33:55,520 Speaker 1: in order to use it, as opposed to a lot 564 00:33:55,560 --> 00:33:58,280 Speaker 1: of these where it's hooked up via Facebook. And guess 565 00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:02,800 Speaker 1: what's easy to set up a fake Facebook account? Yeah, exactly. Well, 566 00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:06,440 Speaker 1: so you know, the one thing that developers are trying 567 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:08,680 Speaker 1: to figure out, and I mean this is taking it 568 00:34:08,719 --> 00:34:11,319 Speaker 1: back out a little more generally, is is what do 569 00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:13,760 Speaker 1: women want? I mean that seems to be a question 570 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:17,839 Speaker 1: in life, but specifically in dating apps and sites. Um 571 00:34:17,840 --> 00:34:20,919 Speaker 1: And Friedman, writing in The New Yorker, looked at this 572 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:24,279 Speaker 1: and she said, if you look at the precious few 573 00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:27,600 Speaker 1: dating sites and apps with female founders, a pattern emerges. 574 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:31,360 Speaker 1: Women want authenticity, privacy, and more controlled environment and a 575 00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:35,440 Speaker 1: quick path to a safe, easy, offline meeting. She cites 576 00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:38,920 Speaker 1: the app Coffee Meets Bagel, which is like almost like 577 00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:42,520 Speaker 1: a friendlier version of Tender or grinder. Like you, you're 578 00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:44,680 Speaker 1: still flipping through, but it kind of puts the keys 579 00:34:44,719 --> 00:34:49,720 Speaker 1: in the hand of the woman who's looking through. Um Cara, sorry, 580 00:34:49,840 --> 00:34:53,400 Speaker 1: who's looking through? Jessica Carbino, who's a PhD candidate in 581 00:34:53,440 --> 00:34:57,000 Speaker 1: sociology at u c l A studies online dating, and 582 00:34:57,239 --> 00:34:59,840 Speaker 1: Freeman quotes are saying, you know, a lot of people 583 00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:03,799 Speaker 1: UH want to meet organically. They know that online dating 584 00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:05,880 Speaker 1: is important, but they still don't like it. They want to, 585 00:35:06,200 --> 00:35:11,160 Speaker 1: you know, have it be more organic offline. Um. So 586 00:35:11,480 --> 00:35:13,520 Speaker 1: she says that if you had a mobile app to 587 00:35:13,640 --> 00:35:16,839 Speaker 1: let people know where men who meet their their criteria 588 00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:20,120 Speaker 1: are and let women initiate it, it it could work as 589 00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:23,120 Speaker 1: long as the women feel comfortable. Because what comes up 590 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:25,120 Speaker 1: again and again and some of these things we were 591 00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:27,919 Speaker 1: reading is like a lot of the straight women being 592 00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:31,040 Speaker 1: intervieweders saying, you know, I I want to still feel 593 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:34,759 Speaker 1: like the woman in the situation. I don't necessarily want 594 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:37,240 Speaker 1: to approach the man. And so there's a degree of like, okay, 595 00:35:37,280 --> 00:35:39,480 Speaker 1: well you want to have control, but you don't want 596 00:35:39,480 --> 00:35:41,399 Speaker 1: to approach a man. So how do we create an 597 00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:44,920 Speaker 1: app that like makes everybody comfortable? But there are some 598 00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:49,280 Speaker 1: people who are saying that Tinder is doing that because 599 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:52,399 Speaker 1: there's this whole emphasis. There are so many articles too 600 00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:56,480 Speaker 1: on Tinder is you know, just a woman's playland. It's 601 00:35:56,520 --> 00:35:59,200 Speaker 1: a feminist dream come true because you can know the 602 00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:02,840 Speaker 1: swipe men away or keep them around and sorry, folks, 603 00:36:02,920 --> 00:36:07,040 Speaker 1: that's not feminism. But but there it is a little 604 00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:11,960 Speaker 1: more equal opportunity dating, whereas with something like Okay Cupid, 605 00:36:12,040 --> 00:36:14,080 Speaker 1: it's a little more formal. I feel like, I feel 606 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:18,000 Speaker 1: like it falls back more on, you know, stereotypes of 607 00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:21,720 Speaker 1: men needing to make the initial approach, whereas with Tinder, 608 00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:25,680 Speaker 1: maybe because it's a little more hook up oriented, it 609 00:36:25,719 --> 00:36:30,040 Speaker 1: doesn't really matter as much. Yeah, but Amanda hess Over 610 00:36:30,080 --> 00:36:33,200 Speaker 1: at Slate did take issue with Tender being called feminist 611 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:36,480 Speaker 1: or any of these types of mobile apps being called feminist, 612 00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:44,160 Speaker 1: because having women treat men as disposable is not an 613 00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:49,240 Speaker 1: equal opportunity thing. It's it's not that's having women treatment 614 00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:51,560 Speaker 1: as disposable just like men due to women on these 615 00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:54,759 Speaker 1: dating sides that does. That's not equality, that's just more 616 00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:58,640 Speaker 1: like meat market mentality. Right. The focus on the disposability 617 00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:03,680 Speaker 1: is is it's anti feminist. What would be more feminists is, yeah, 618 00:37:03,719 --> 00:37:07,319 Speaker 1: we should everybody should be you know, as empowered, and 619 00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:10,040 Speaker 1: it should be as socially acceptable to ask a person noel. 620 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:13,880 Speaker 1: You shouldn't be socially penalized for being a forward woman 621 00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:16,520 Speaker 1: if you want to be. And on kind of a 622 00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:20,440 Speaker 1: side note with this whole feminism tie in, they're clearly 623 00:37:20,520 --> 00:37:25,680 Speaker 1: trying to market based on that, and in Australia they 624 00:37:25,719 --> 00:37:29,960 Speaker 1: did a marketing campaign alongside Amnesty International, which is a 625 00:37:29,960 --> 00:37:36,280 Speaker 1: lotable organization, but the whole marketing campaign was focused on, Hey, women, 626 00:37:36,440 --> 00:37:39,240 Speaker 1: aren't you glad you have Tinder because child brides exist 627 00:37:39,280 --> 00:37:41,560 Speaker 1: and they don't get to choose, they can't swipe away 628 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:46,920 Speaker 1: their older husbands, which was just like, no, no, nope, 629 00:37:47,360 --> 00:37:52,360 Speaker 1: let's that's not nope, that's let's not do that. Yeah. Um. 630 00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:54,279 Speaker 1: There was an article about this in the Telegraph and 631 00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:57,440 Speaker 1: the writer was like, uh, this is kind of a sticky, 632 00:37:57,480 --> 00:38:01,680 Speaker 1: icky situation advertising in this anner saying these various things. 633 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:05,040 Speaker 1: And while the Tinder founder does say that it's part 634 00:38:05,080 --> 00:38:07,840 Speaker 1: of our mission to empower women, the Telegraph writer was 635 00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:13,200 Speaker 1: basically saying, you're not really empowering anyone women. It's just 636 00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:19,240 Speaker 1: it's using an kind of abusing a cause to sell 637 00:38:19,640 --> 00:38:24,200 Speaker 1: something to you know, perfectly privileged white people. A lot 638 00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:27,040 Speaker 1: of times. I don't know. I I was a bit 639 00:38:27,200 --> 00:38:31,640 Speaker 1: aghast at that. Um. But some some female listeners might 640 00:38:31,680 --> 00:38:36,160 Speaker 1: have heard of another dating service. It's not necessarily it's 641 00:38:36,200 --> 00:38:38,840 Speaker 1: not exactly a dating app, but it is a service 642 00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:42,960 Speaker 1: that is also has been lauded as you know, twenty 643 00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:47,239 Speaker 1: one century of feminism. It's called Lulu, and what it 644 00:38:47,360 --> 00:38:50,160 Speaker 1: is is a guy rating app. It's kind of like 645 00:38:50,360 --> 00:38:53,960 Speaker 1: Yelp for dudes, where it's also hooked up via Facebook. 646 00:38:54,239 --> 00:38:57,480 Speaker 1: So women go on and they rate guys that they 647 00:38:57,520 --> 00:39:00,640 Speaker 1: know with a series of just so that they can't 648 00:39:00,680 --> 00:39:03,359 Speaker 1: go on Yelp style and just rant about men. There 649 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:07,479 Speaker 1: are a series of pre selected hashtags so that if 650 00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:11,760 Speaker 1: you find a guy online and you don't know him 651 00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:14,319 Speaker 1: I r L, you can go on Lulu, see if 652 00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:15,840 Speaker 1: he's in there, and see what other women have to 653 00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:19,440 Speaker 1: say about him. But as Amanda has also points out, hey, 654 00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:23,560 Speaker 1: this actually isn't so great because this is not consensual 655 00:39:23,600 --> 00:39:25,960 Speaker 1: on the guy's part. And what would we be saying 656 00:39:26,440 --> 00:39:30,719 Speaker 1: if there was an app for rating women? We would 657 00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:33,800 Speaker 1: be up in arms about that, right, and I would 658 00:39:33,960 --> 00:39:36,880 Speaker 1: not want to see the hashtags associated with my profile. 659 00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:42,640 Speaker 1: But the existence of Lulu does point to one potential 660 00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:47,640 Speaker 1: pitfall of online dating, which is that there it would 661 00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:50,240 Speaker 1: be helpful to have a kind of rating system because 662 00:39:50,520 --> 00:39:53,000 Speaker 1: as much as you might mesh online, as much as 663 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:55,880 Speaker 1: your interests might aligne, once you're sitting down face to 664 00:39:55,920 --> 00:39:58,400 Speaker 1: face with a person, which is important to do almost 665 00:39:58,440 --> 00:40:01,600 Speaker 1: as quickly as possible. Grinder does get that right, because 666 00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:06,799 Speaker 1: psychologists have found that the longer you draw out your 667 00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:11,799 Speaker 1: online communication before meeting in person kinda, the more you're 668 00:40:11,800 --> 00:40:15,160 Speaker 1: setting yourself up for major disappointment. There's something called the 669 00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:19,640 Speaker 1: hyper personal effect. We're in. You see this perfect online profile, 670 00:40:19,760 --> 00:40:22,880 Speaker 1: so he must be perfect, and then you realize, well, 671 00:40:23,080 --> 00:40:27,880 Speaker 1: he's not perfect or she's not perfect. Um So where 672 00:40:28,719 --> 00:40:31,600 Speaker 1: the need for something like Lulu comes in is the 673 00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:35,399 Speaker 1: fact that online dating doesn't It doesn't account for those 674 00:40:35,480 --> 00:40:38,960 Speaker 1: variables of just like any blind date of you don't 675 00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:42,360 Speaker 1: actually know exactly how it's going to go, and we 676 00:40:42,440 --> 00:40:47,000 Speaker 1: want to, you know, mitigate the chance of disaster. Sure, 677 00:40:47,120 --> 00:40:51,359 Speaker 1: so we we rely on dating site algorithms, things like 678 00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:54,399 Speaker 1: answering all of this foreign questions, any harmony to tell 679 00:40:54,520 --> 00:40:58,560 Speaker 1: us this person is definitely going to be my mate. 680 00:40:58,760 --> 00:41:02,360 Speaker 1: They they're obviously per we have like a nine match 681 00:41:02,440 --> 00:41:08,040 Speaker 1: score or whatever. But those algorithms don't really work because 682 00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:13,319 Speaker 1: they're only matching things like interests, values, attributes, rather than 683 00:41:13,760 --> 00:41:16,640 Speaker 1: how you two are going to get along in long 684 00:41:16,760 --> 00:41:19,760 Speaker 1: term situations. And I mean that's a criticism and it's legitimate, 685 00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:22,440 Speaker 1: but it's also like, how could you expect it to 686 00:41:22,640 --> 00:41:26,400 Speaker 1: match you to a long term partner? Really? Yeah, I 687 00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:30,040 Speaker 1: mean and and that's also the conclusion of this Northwestern 688 00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:33,040 Speaker 1: study UM led by Eli Finkel that we've referenced a 689 00:41:33,080 --> 00:41:37,800 Speaker 1: few times. And there, I mean, there's as much as okay, 690 00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:41,960 Speaker 1: Cupid or match or whomever hails their algorithm, there is, 691 00:41:42,080 --> 00:41:44,759 Speaker 1: there's just no scientific data to back it up. And 692 00:41:44,800 --> 00:41:47,359 Speaker 1: a lot of them, like the Harmony, are very proprietary 693 00:41:47,440 --> 00:41:50,960 Speaker 1: over this secret algorithm. It's like the coke formula. You know, 694 00:41:51,080 --> 00:41:53,680 Speaker 1: they don't they don't want to let anybody know what 695 00:41:53,800 --> 00:41:57,839 Speaker 1: those supposedly secret ingredients are. It turns out that as 696 00:41:57,880 --> 00:42:01,200 Speaker 1: you type in your answers to these harmony algorithms, they 697 00:42:01,200 --> 00:42:03,120 Speaker 1: just go into a room with like a bunch of 698 00:42:03,239 --> 00:42:08,719 Speaker 1: ducks stomping around on computer anymore. It's true, um. And 699 00:42:08,960 --> 00:42:12,480 Speaker 1: he also points out to that there's this issue with 700 00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:16,279 Speaker 1: the deluge problem. There are so many people now who 701 00:42:16,320 --> 00:42:20,360 Speaker 1: are online dating that it almost presents this paradox of 702 00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:23,480 Speaker 1: choice of like, uh, you know, you walk into a 703 00:42:23,520 --> 00:42:26,280 Speaker 1: grocery store with like a million different kinds of cereal. 704 00:42:26,440 --> 00:42:28,680 Speaker 1: The more kinds of cereal there are the harder it 705 00:42:28,800 --> 00:42:31,120 Speaker 1: is to actually pick out a cereal, whereas if you 706 00:42:31,200 --> 00:42:32,879 Speaker 1: just walk in and there's only corn flakes, you're gonna 707 00:42:32,880 --> 00:42:36,000 Speaker 1: go home with corn flakes. But some people are worried, 708 00:42:36,040 --> 00:42:38,040 Speaker 1: They're like, what if there's something better out there than 709 00:42:38,160 --> 00:42:42,360 Speaker 1: corn flakes? Because having all of these choices, you know 710 00:42:42,440 --> 00:42:44,920 Speaker 1: that that starts to lead to all of these you know, 711 00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:47,360 Speaker 1: critics of online dating who are saying that it's ruining 712 00:42:47,360 --> 00:42:50,160 Speaker 1: our society because no one's gonna stay married anymore, or 713 00:42:50,160 --> 00:42:52,680 Speaker 1: no one's gonna get married in the first place anymore, 714 00:42:53,320 --> 00:42:57,440 Speaker 1: And and like, okay, logically, in a black and white world, like, 715 00:42:57,640 --> 00:43:00,239 Speaker 1: I see where your argument is coming from. I see that, 716 00:43:00,320 --> 00:43:03,319 Speaker 1: Like having all these endless choices makes you think, oh, 717 00:43:03,480 --> 00:43:05,440 Speaker 1: I can do one better and one better. But what 718 00:43:05,560 --> 00:43:09,680 Speaker 1: online dating doesn't change is your inherent values. If you 719 00:43:09,800 --> 00:43:11,800 Speaker 1: want to get married, if you want to have a committed, 720 00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:14,719 Speaker 1: long term relationship with one person, go on to have children, 721 00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:18,200 Speaker 1: blah blah blah, grow old all that good stuff. You're 722 00:43:18,200 --> 00:43:20,760 Speaker 1: still probably going to do that. Also, when did people 723 00:43:20,880 --> 00:43:24,480 Speaker 1: start staying married for forever? When did that? When? When 724 00:43:24,480 --> 00:43:28,120 Speaker 1: did that divorce rate go down so far? Right? Yeah, 725 00:43:28,120 --> 00:43:30,520 Speaker 1: people are really convinced that in the next couple of years, 726 00:43:30,520 --> 00:43:33,720 Speaker 1: we're gonna start seeing ridiculous divorce rates and and marriage 727 00:43:33,800 --> 00:43:36,480 Speaker 1: is going to become outdated, and we're just going to 728 00:43:36,640 --> 00:43:40,759 Speaker 1: continue to date until we're decrepit. Like one. So in 729 00:43:40,800 --> 00:43:46,239 Speaker 1: this januariece in The Atlantic, the writer quotes um one, 730 00:43:46,640 --> 00:43:48,840 Speaker 1: founder of one of these online dating apps, and the 731 00:43:48,840 --> 00:43:51,200 Speaker 1: guy was like, Yeah, I'm forty and I'm still dating. 732 00:43:51,239 --> 00:43:53,560 Speaker 1: If I lived in Iowa, i'd have four kids by now. 733 00:43:53,600 --> 00:43:57,160 Speaker 1: And it's like, would you. Yeah. Well, here's here's this 734 00:43:57,360 --> 00:44:02,520 Speaker 1: sticky issue with online dating because the fact the matter is, 735 00:44:02,719 --> 00:44:06,319 Speaker 1: these are businesses, and these are businesses capitalizing on this 736 00:44:06,840 --> 00:44:10,680 Speaker 1: very particular and persistent issue of people wanting to either 737 00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:13,280 Speaker 1: have sex or to have sex with the same person 738 00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:18,160 Speaker 1: over and over again, and every time they're successful, they 739 00:44:18,239 --> 00:44:22,239 Speaker 1: lose two clients. So, as Eli Finkel points out, it's 740 00:44:22,280 --> 00:44:24,240 Speaker 1: ultimately going to be in the best interests of online 741 00:44:24,360 --> 00:44:29,560 Speaker 1: dating services to keep a steady pool of single people. So, 742 00:44:29,719 --> 00:44:32,280 Speaker 1: I mean, I don't think that you know, the people 743 00:44:32,320 --> 00:44:35,680 Speaker 1: who started Grinder or Okay, cube it or whomever are 744 00:44:35,719 --> 00:44:37,400 Speaker 1: evil and want us to, you know, to keep us 745 00:44:37,440 --> 00:44:41,920 Speaker 1: shackled to our single hood. But the convenient thing is 746 00:44:41,960 --> 00:44:45,960 Speaker 1: that they can't eliminate all of the variables and figure 747 00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:49,319 Speaker 1: out how exactly to perfectly match people up, because nobody can. 748 00:44:49,760 --> 00:44:53,040 Speaker 1: That's absolutely impossible to do. Otherwise someone would have already 749 00:44:53,040 --> 00:44:55,400 Speaker 1: done it and they would be a b jillionaire and 750 00:44:55,480 --> 00:44:57,719 Speaker 1: life would be a lot more boring, because if you 751 00:44:57,760 --> 00:45:00,640 Speaker 1: take chance out of romance, then what would we write 752 00:45:00,640 --> 00:45:05,040 Speaker 1: love songs about? Right? Right? And to be honest, that 753 00:45:05,200 --> 00:45:09,960 Speaker 1: very aspect was a big reason why I only online 754 00:45:10,040 --> 00:45:11,920 Speaker 1: dated for a brief period of time, because when I 755 00:45:11,960 --> 00:45:15,279 Speaker 1: would go on dates, there was no mystery about it. 756 00:45:15,280 --> 00:45:17,799 Speaker 1: It was I mean, this was also reflective of just 757 00:45:17,920 --> 00:45:19,520 Speaker 1: the time in my life. I don't think I was 758 00:45:19,600 --> 00:45:22,200 Speaker 1: necessarily looking for a long term relationship, and I think 759 00:45:22,239 --> 00:45:24,960 Speaker 1: that colored my perception as well. But once I was 760 00:45:25,000 --> 00:45:29,000 Speaker 1: there with these guys, it was like there was it 761 00:45:29,040 --> 00:45:31,600 Speaker 1: was already set up. You know, we were there for 762 00:45:31,640 --> 00:45:35,279 Speaker 1: this purpose and it wasn't as exciting. And one thing 763 00:45:35,320 --> 00:45:38,400 Speaker 1: I think, uh, you know, depending on your approach or 764 00:45:38,440 --> 00:45:40,880 Speaker 1: whatever to online dating, I mean, one thing that makes 765 00:45:41,000 --> 00:45:43,640 Speaker 1: me sad about the process, or made me sad about 766 00:45:43,680 --> 00:45:45,839 Speaker 1: the process, was that, like let's say you meet someone 767 00:45:45,960 --> 00:45:49,520 Speaker 1: organically out whether through friends or work or whatever, like 768 00:45:49,960 --> 00:45:52,920 Speaker 1: chances are you'll kind of get a feel for the 769 00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:56,120 Speaker 1: person and maybe if it doesn't work out romantically, you're 770 00:45:56,120 --> 00:45:58,279 Speaker 1: still going to end up being friends with them. But 771 00:45:58,360 --> 00:46:01,000 Speaker 1: online dating, that's like, that's not gonna happen. It's like 772 00:46:01,160 --> 00:46:02,719 Speaker 1: you go out on a date with somebody that you 773 00:46:02,760 --> 00:46:05,879 Speaker 1: met on Okay Cupid, match blah blah blah. You're there 774 00:46:05,920 --> 00:46:07,960 Speaker 1: for one purpose and one purpose only, and that is 775 00:46:08,000 --> 00:46:12,319 Speaker 1: to freaking fall in love. And so the first date 776 00:46:12,360 --> 00:46:15,719 Speaker 1: I ever went on from okay Cupid was this guy 777 00:46:15,800 --> 00:46:18,680 Speaker 1: who was incredibly cool and nice, and we had so 778 00:46:18,800 --> 00:46:22,560 Speaker 1: much in common, but there just weren't sparks. And the 779 00:46:22,600 --> 00:46:25,680 Speaker 1: thing is, I would love even now, would love to 780 00:46:25,719 --> 00:46:28,880 Speaker 1: be friends with that dude, because he's a very interesting, 781 00:46:28,880 --> 00:46:33,920 Speaker 1: accomplished gentleman. But that just wasn't gonna happen because we 782 00:46:33,920 --> 00:46:35,920 Speaker 1: were only there for one purpose, and that was to 783 00:46:35,960 --> 00:46:37,680 Speaker 1: figure out if we were going to fall in love 784 00:46:37,760 --> 00:46:41,280 Speaker 1: and have babies or whatever. Yeah, I mean, and for 785 00:46:41,360 --> 00:46:44,600 Speaker 1: all of these potential downsides, which are really it's not 786 00:46:44,680 --> 00:46:48,840 Speaker 1: a judgment against online dating. Online dating hasn't changed the 787 00:46:49,360 --> 00:46:52,080 Speaker 1: product that we're looking for. Really, it's just changed the 788 00:46:52,120 --> 00:46:56,359 Speaker 1: way we shop for it, um. But Eli Finkel did 789 00:46:56,360 --> 00:46:59,439 Speaker 1: not completely completely throw online dating under the bus because 790 00:46:59,440 --> 00:47:02,120 Speaker 1: we're not um. But the fact of the matter is 791 00:47:02,160 --> 00:47:05,080 Speaker 1: it has at least opened up this new marketplace. It 792 00:47:05,320 --> 00:47:08,839 Speaker 1: is easier to meet people. Whether those people are going 793 00:47:08,880 --> 00:47:11,120 Speaker 1: to be long term or not, who knows. But especially 794 00:47:11,160 --> 00:47:16,239 Speaker 1: if you look at the LGBT community for instance, and 795 00:47:16,400 --> 00:47:21,600 Speaker 1: how incredible of a tool online dating has been, especially 796 00:47:21,719 --> 00:47:25,560 Speaker 1: in you know, past times, not so long ago, where 797 00:47:26,560 --> 00:47:28,680 Speaker 1: or for people who are living in not so progressive 798 00:47:28,719 --> 00:47:31,479 Speaker 1: areas to be able to be out and to meet 799 00:47:31,480 --> 00:47:33,960 Speaker 1: other people and to have that access right there, that 800 00:47:34,080 --> 00:47:39,200 Speaker 1: is an incredible, you know progression. But online dating is 801 00:47:39,440 --> 00:47:43,120 Speaker 1: never going to solve all of our romantic woes. Oh no. 802 00:47:43,280 --> 00:47:45,879 Speaker 1: If anything, it's just like the hydra. You you get 803 00:47:45,960 --> 00:47:48,520 Speaker 1: rid of one problem, which is like access to meeting people, 804 00:47:49,120 --> 00:47:52,920 Speaker 1: it just creates fifty more. Yeah. Um, So what do 805 00:47:52,960 --> 00:47:55,480 Speaker 1: you think do we toss it to listeners now? Absolutely? 806 00:47:55,560 --> 00:47:58,800 Speaker 1: I would love to hear your online dating stories, because 807 00:47:58,840 --> 00:48:00,560 Speaker 1: I know you have some weird one. I want to 808 00:48:00,560 --> 00:48:03,000 Speaker 1: hear online dating stories. Oh we we didn't even get 809 00:48:03,000 --> 00:48:06,520 Speaker 1: into all the different kinds of niche dating um sites 810 00:48:06,560 --> 00:48:09,560 Speaker 1: and apps out there. If anyone has used one of 811 00:48:09,600 --> 00:48:13,040 Speaker 1: the specific like farmers looking for farmers. I'm not just 812 00:48:13,080 --> 00:48:16,600 Speaker 1: saying only these, but for instance, there there's one for farmers. 813 00:48:16,880 --> 00:48:19,400 Speaker 1: There's one. There's obviously like bigger ones like J Day. 814 00:48:19,440 --> 00:48:21,640 Speaker 1: There's even one that matches you up based on your 815 00:48:21,840 --> 00:48:24,520 Speaker 1: candy preferences, which I don't think I have a big 816 00:48:24,600 --> 00:48:26,799 Speaker 1: enough sweets I would never I would never end up 817 00:48:26,920 --> 00:48:28,759 Speaker 1: dating anyone if I did that, because I have a 818 00:48:28,800 --> 00:48:31,000 Speaker 1: total sweet tooth and a lot of the guys have 819 00:48:31,160 --> 00:48:33,880 Speaker 1: dated could take chocolate or leave it. So what does 820 00:48:33,920 --> 00:48:35,600 Speaker 1: that I mean? What does that mean? It means you 821 00:48:35,600 --> 00:48:40,120 Speaker 1: and I would just hang out together and eat chocolate. Perfect. Um. 822 00:48:40,200 --> 00:48:43,200 Speaker 1: So please share your online dating stories have you? Are 823 00:48:43,239 --> 00:48:46,040 Speaker 1: you an online dating success story because it absolutely works? 824 00:48:46,400 --> 00:48:49,160 Speaker 1: Or do you have horror stories to share? We love 825 00:48:49,239 --> 00:48:52,520 Speaker 1: to hear them because guess what, we all have them now. Yeah, 826 00:48:52,920 --> 00:48:55,680 Speaker 1: So send us your stories mom stuff at Discovery dot 827 00:48:55,719 --> 00:48:58,600 Speaker 1: com or just tweet us at mom Stuff podcast, or 828 00:48:58,640 --> 00:49:01,000 Speaker 1: send us a message over once book. And we have 829 00:49:01,080 --> 00:49:03,439 Speaker 1: a couple of messages this year with you right now 830 00:49:03,920 --> 00:49:09,919 Speaker 1: about beer because after a bad date, you need a beer, right, 831 00:49:10,040 --> 00:49:16,480 Speaker 1: that's right? Well, I have a letter here from Haley, 832 00:49:16,600 --> 00:49:19,480 Speaker 1: who lives in Wellington, New Zealand, which is a craft 833 00:49:19,560 --> 00:49:23,440 Speaker 1: beer crazy city. She says, I am a female beer 834 00:49:23,480 --> 00:49:26,359 Speaker 1: tender and my partner is a brewer, so drinking beer, 835 00:49:26,440 --> 00:49:29,000 Speaker 1: serving beer, and talking about beer is a huge part 836 00:49:29,040 --> 00:49:31,760 Speaker 1: of my day to day life. The craft beer industry 837 00:49:31,800 --> 00:49:34,200 Speaker 1: is much more lady friendly than commercial big beer, but 838 00:49:34,239 --> 00:49:36,319 Speaker 1: we still have a long way to go. I'd take 839 00:49:36,360 --> 00:49:38,719 Speaker 1: great pride in explaining to people who use the term 840 00:49:38,920 --> 00:49:42,759 Speaker 1: girly beer that no such thing exists because less time 841 00:49:42,800 --> 00:49:44,960 Speaker 1: I checked, we do not imbibe what is in our 842 00:49:45,040 --> 00:49:48,920 Speaker 1: point via our vagina. My male co workers also do 843 00:49:49,000 --> 00:49:51,640 Speaker 1: their bit by passing on to me customers who look 844 00:49:51,680 --> 00:49:54,440 Speaker 1: passed me originally and intentionally wait for recommendations from a 845 00:49:54,440 --> 00:49:58,239 Speaker 1: bearded man behind the bar instead. Also, I love that 846 00:49:58,320 --> 00:50:01,319 Speaker 1: in an American accent you can hear difference between beer 847 00:50:01,440 --> 00:50:04,400 Speaker 1: and bear, because in our humble Kiwi accents they sound 848 00:50:04,440 --> 00:50:07,319 Speaker 1: exactly the same. Let's go to New Zealand and have 849 00:50:07,360 --> 00:50:12,720 Speaker 1: a bear. That's right, bear, as beer just sounds really Southern. Bear. 850 00:50:12,880 --> 00:50:18,640 Speaker 1: Let's have a bear Caroline bear. Yeah, so fun with accents. Well, 851 00:50:18,719 --> 00:50:22,240 Speaker 1: I have a letter here from Joshua and he has 852 00:50:22,719 --> 00:50:26,880 Speaker 1: recommendations for us, some crafty recommendations. He says, to start, 853 00:50:26,960 --> 00:50:30,160 Speaker 1: it really comes down to preferred styles. I'm generally very 854 00:50:30,200 --> 00:50:32,440 Speaker 1: seasonal with what I drink, and I also like to 855 00:50:32,480 --> 00:50:35,360 Speaker 1: try and pair a beer or style with what I'm eating, 856 00:50:35,480 --> 00:50:38,640 Speaker 1: as it can really make a difference. He also noted 857 00:50:38,680 --> 00:50:40,560 Speaker 1: that since you and I both talked about how we 858 00:50:40,680 --> 00:50:42,840 Speaker 1: like I p A s, he started out with some 859 00:50:42,920 --> 00:50:46,279 Speaker 1: I p A recommendations, and unfortunately I can't read all 860 00:50:46,320 --> 00:50:48,960 Speaker 1: the recommendations that he had, but among the I p 861 00:50:49,120 --> 00:50:52,440 Speaker 1: as Hetty Hopper from the Alchemist Brewery he says is 862 00:50:52,719 --> 00:50:55,759 Speaker 1: the absolute, hands down best I p A he's ever had. 863 00:50:56,120 --> 00:50:59,560 Speaker 1: Unfortunately you can't buy it outside of Vermont. He also 864 00:50:59,560 --> 00:51:03,560 Speaker 1: recommends Plenty the Elder from Russian River, Lunch from Main 865 00:51:03,640 --> 00:51:08,120 Speaker 1: Brewing Company, and Resin and Hires from six Point. He 866 00:51:08,120 --> 00:51:10,480 Speaker 1: says both of those are very hoppy, and since we 867 00:51:10,560 --> 00:51:14,480 Speaker 1: also talked about how sours um are a unfamiliar to 868 00:51:14,520 --> 00:51:18,600 Speaker 1: both of our palates but are apparently popular among lady drinkers, 869 00:51:18,920 --> 00:51:24,719 Speaker 1: he recommends Supplication and Consecration from Russian River Breweries and 870 00:51:25,080 --> 00:51:28,800 Speaker 1: Monks Cafe Flemish sour Ale, which is a great sour 871 00:51:29,280 --> 00:51:33,600 Speaker 1: and easy to get. So, Joshua, thank you for all 872 00:51:33,640 --> 00:51:36,759 Speaker 1: of those recommendations. I'm rushing out after this recording. I'm 873 00:51:36,760 --> 00:51:39,920 Speaker 1: going to try sours this weekend. I'm gonna do what Caroline. 874 00:51:40,360 --> 00:51:43,600 Speaker 1: I have a bear and have a sour bear. So 875 00:51:43,719 --> 00:51:46,120 Speaker 1: thanks again to everybody who's written into us. Mom Stuff 876 00:51:46,120 --> 00:51:48,960 Speaker 1: at Discovery dot com is our email address, and if 877 00:51:48,960 --> 00:51:51,440 Speaker 1: you want to find us on social or find all 878 00:51:51,440 --> 00:51:54,480 Speaker 1: of our blogs, podcasts, and videos, head on over to 879 00:51:54,800 --> 00:51:59,719 Speaker 1: stuff Mom Never Told You dot com. For more on 880 00:51:59,840 --> 00:52:02,600 Speaker 1: the and thousands of other topics, visit how stuff Works 881 00:52:02,640 --> 00:52:11,600 Speaker 1: dot com