As far as Gen Z and millennials are concerned, dating apps are in their flop era.
A new report from Eventbrite, an event management site, found that young adults are increasingly turning to live events like speed dating and singles mixers to meet potential matches instead of dating apps. Last year, searches for live singles events increased 43 percent from the year prio, with over 1.5 million searches for it on Eventbrite’s platform.
“Singles have voiced their frustrations with online dating, and we’ve heard them loud and clear: they want more in-person opportunities to connect and bond over mutual passions, be it paddleboard yoga, kombucha brewing, backyard beekeeping or freehand glassblowing,” Eventbrite’s CEO and co-founder Julia Hartz said in a statement.
More than half of respondents admitted it’s difficult to start and/or continue a meaningful conversation online. Additionally, nearly half of Gen Z participants and a third of Millennials said they had little success in finding potential partners with shared values and interests.
Of course, it doesn’t help that dating apps have depersonalized the romantic experience. Many women have gone viral on TikTok recently for ranting about their negative experiences on dating apps, arguing that apps have turned dates into “transactions” and made it difficult to find a genuine connection with someone.
“There’s a sickness where we don’t see people as people because of the apps,” an anonymous woman told The Cut.
