Singles try in-person dating events as app fatigue grows
Singles are attending in-person events, such as a star sign themed night in Guildford, as some say dating app use feels repetitive and time spent on apps falls.
The Full Story
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Singles looking for partners are increasingly turning to in-person events as fatigue with dating apps grows. At a star sign themed singles night in Guildford, attendees were paired by an app based on astrology and met face to face instead of swiping.
Modern dating has changed many times. It has moved from marriage bureaux and 1940s dating agencies, through the dance halls of the 1950s and 1960s, to clumsy chat-up lines in pubs and then online dating. Apps have dominated for years, but some users now describe them as a treadmill. One attendee said: 'I'm slowly losing my will to live on the apps.' Another said they were like a 'constant roulette wheel or carousel', with people going 'over and over and over again'. Some said men put little thought into swipes, with one person saying they just do a 'eeny, meeny, miny, moe'.
At the Guildford event, Olivia agreed to let a reporter follow her night. She said meeting new people was always nerve-wracking. She was matched with Edward, and they discussed the cost of dating. The event heard that dating can be expensive for people going on several first dates. Olivia said she had paused dating while changing careers and disliked swiping on people with limited information and only a couple of pictures. Another attendee said apps were designed so that users do not find 'the one' because the companies want them to keep coming back.
App fatigue is reflected in figures. According to a recent study by the online regulator Ofcom, 11% of adults use dating sites, but the time spent on them is dropping. The findings were put to Match Group, which owns apps including Tinder and Hinge. Its bosses rejected the idea that apps had had their day and said almost 60% of users want long-term partnership. They said the company was putting 'IRL' into its experience to help users meet in person faster.
Changing work patterns were also cited. More people work from home, so fewer chance meetings happen in offices or on trains. By the end of the night, Olivia said she would not be dating anyone specific from the event but joked that guests would be invited to the wedding if there was one.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A singles event paired people using an astrology-based app. | |
| An Ofcom study found that 11% of adults use dating sites and that time spent on them is falling. | |
| Match Group said almost 60% of users want a long-term partnership. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC One West built the item around a local singles night in Guildford, using it to ask whether people are falling out of love with dating apps. The tone was warm and human interest led, with a brief history of dating, interviews with attendees and a response from Match Group, plus Ofcom figures.
- “I'm slowly losing my will to live on the apps.”
- “They're designed so that you don't find the one because they want you to come back and use the app and use it forever.”
- “almost 60% of them want long-term partnership”
Who was on air
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- 13:53 BST
Match Group, bosses at Match Group
BBC News at One including · Tue 20 Oct
Broadcast Timeline
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