While singles are spoiled for choice on dating apps, many are beginning to drift away from non-stop swiping towards age-old ways of meeting people in real life.
Millennials are now increasingly trying to find romance through speed dating or singles mixers rather than on their phones, where ghosting and romance scams have become extremely popular.
This shift comes after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic – which had left many with dating app fatigue and desperate for a human connection.
According to data from ticketing platform Eventbrite, attendance at in-person dating events in the US will grow by 42 percent in 2023 from 2022.
Gaming-based dating events grew by 163 percent, and athletic dating events such as pickleball and spin classes saw a 135 percent increase on the platform last year.
Millennials are now increasingly trying to find romance through speed dating or singles mixers rather than on their phones, where ghosting and romance scams have become extremely popular. (Image: Blake Parizeau asks Ozy Gokyurek an icebreaker question)
This shift is most notably seen following the end of the Covid-19 pandemic – which had left many with dating app fatigue and desperate for a human connection
Maria Avgitidis, CEO of matchmaking company Apage Match told CNN: ‘The biggest complaint I hear is that people experience fatigue in dating apps.
“We need to go back to dating like it’s 1988.”
Avgitidis also noted that the return of in-person dating events is creating a resurgence of ‘third spaces’ that existed before apps, where people could spontaneously get to know each other.
‘Personal events mimic as if you met through a friend. It’s really hard to capture a vibe via text, and a lot of pressure on first dates when you’ve eliminated time together before, the CEO said.
Many participants have also started documenting their experiences and sharing what happens at such events.
Ally Ledford, a TikToker based in California, described her experience at an event last month in a series of videos, explaining why she decided to participate.
She said she was hoping to find a partner at the event or simply meet a group of women and make new friends.
Ledford told his viewers that the organizers had sent an email detailing what was going to happen at the event.
Ally Ledford, a TikToker based in California, described her experience at an event last month in a series of videos and explained why she decided to participate
‘The email said there would be a first block of dating where you should expect to meet five to seven singles and the first block is like an hour.
‘I’m not good at math so I’m not even going to try to figure out how much each person has. Best guess, it’s like 10 minutes with each person.
‘After the first dating block there will be a 45 minute break where you can have another drink or talk to someone who is not one of your matches for the night.
‘Then they’ll have another block of speed dating, lasting about an hour, where you’ll again be talking to five to seven matches.
“And then at the end of the night you send a card with everyone you’re interested in written on it, I guess.
The next day they email you a list of everyone who said they were interested in you, even if it wasn’t mutual.’
In a video recorded at the event, she said she had met with 14-15 people and described it as ‘fun’ and later went into detail about her conversations.
In a video recorded at the event, she said she had met with 14-15 people and described it as ‘fun’ and later went into detail about her conversations
TikToker and comedian Robyn Schall also shared a video explaining what happened at a speed dating event she attended and why she thought it was ‘evil’
TikToker and comedian Robyn Schall also shared a video explaining what happened at a speed dating event she attended and why she thought it was ‘evil’.
Schall told her viewers that she was given a scorecard to rank her dates and also explained the process.
The scorecard had five markers: Definitely fancy a trip, One more drink maybe, Not really my cup of tea, Oh dear never in a million years.
She also said she met with a ‘narcissistic’ love and relationship coach who told her she had ‘fat hips’ and complimented her smile.
But despite a massive difference in experiences, millennials still choose to meet people in person.
Anwar White, a Montreal-based dating coach told Washington Post that he has seen a massive drop in the number of dates his clients set up through dating apps.
‘I’m the type of dating coach who’s pumped these dating apps. But last month I told my clients, “We’re not doing dating apps anymore. We’re going outside. We’re touching grass. We’re talking to men,” he told the publication.
The scorecard had five markers: Definitely fancy a trip, One more drink maybe, Not really my cup of tea, Oh dear never in a million years
Anwar White, a Montreal-based dating coach said he has seen a massive drop in the number of dates his clients set up through dating apps
Recently, several users have reported that they have been scammed out of their money after talking to people online
And the data seems to support White’s statement.
Match Group, which owns Tinder, Hinge and other dating apps, has reportedly lost 80 percent of its value since reaching a peak in 2021.
Bumble has also seen an 80 percent drop in value since it went public three years ago.
But this drift away from online dating isn’t just due to dating app fatigue. Recently, several users have reported that they have been scammed out of their money after talking to people online.
Last year, a recently divorced mother of three revealed how she lost her entire 401(K) to a scammer she met on Tinder after he convinced her to invest in fake cryptocurrency schemes.
Rebecca Holloway, 42, was coming out of a messy second marriage when she was swindled out of more than $100,000 by scammers posing as a French entrepreneur called ‘Fred’.
She is the third victim to come forward in the past year about a cruel scam known as ‘pig slaughter’ – where the victims are effectively ‘fattening up’ on a fake romantic relationship before being ‘slaughtered’ by fraudulent investment advice.
Tech executive Shreya Datta, 37, and single mother Kate, 41, both revealed they lost $450,000 and $80,000 respectively in an eerily similar boast. In total, the three women have handed over half a million dollars to fraudsters.
Rebecca Holloway (pictured) revealed how she lost her entire 401(K) to a scammer she met on Tinder after he convinced her to invest in fake cryptocurrency schemes
Holloway shared exchanges between her and ‘Fred’ exclusively with Dailymail.com
Tech executive Shreya Datta, 37, revealed she lost $450,000 in eerily similar praise
Kate, 41, who used a pseudonym for the piece, lost $80,000 to a scam
Officials say the problem is exploding across the US, and Secret Service agents admit they saw ‘a ton’ of cases. The agency is responsible for ‘protecting’ the US financial and payment systems and regularly investigates high-value fraud cases.
Speaking exclusively to Dailymail.com, Holloway said: ‘Single women approaching middle age are so vulnerable.
“We have money, but maybe we haven’t met the right guy yet. And suddenly this handsome man starts talking to you and you’re excited.
‘When I look back, the signs are so clear. But at that point you’ll think it’s real.’
The pig slaughterhouse is long-haired and sees the scammer enter into a months-long relationship to build trust.
Crooks often allow victims to withdraw money easily from the investment app at first – but once they invest heavily, they lose this option.
Data from the FBI’s Internet Crimes Complaint Center (IC3) shows that cryptocurrency fraud is the fastest growing form of investment fraud.
In total, victims reported losses of $2.57 billion last year, an increase of over 183 percent over 2021.