SIngletonians looking to meet their soulmates online have turned to two key avenues over the past decade: trying their luck on dating apps or befriending as many mutual friends as possible on social media, in the hope of finding the one.
But some have found a third way, using services like Good readings and Strava to find partners with whom they hope to spend the rest of their lives. These couples proved to be pioneers. So-called hobby apps, built around activities like running, reading or going to the movies, are all the rage — and not just for love.
This is all part of a broader movement, in which people are growing tired of the “digital town square” offered by Twitter/X and other social media platforms. At a time when many are abandoning Elon Musk’s social network for its attitude towards “free speech” (which some see as “hate amplification”), competing apps like Bluesky and Threads are seeing a resurgence among users.
While some users are turning to Twitter handles, others are seeking refuge in apps that promise to connect them with people who have common interests. Running app Strava has seen a surge in user numbers grow 20% in one yearAccording to the digital market intelligence firm Sensor towerThat success has led her to add a messaging tool so that users can stay in touch, as well as document their workouts. Knitting social network Ravelryaccessed through several third-party apps, has over 9 million users. Goodreads has amassed over 150 million members.
Letter boxThe movie completists’ dream app, where you can bookmark the latest movies you’ve seen, review and rate them, along with other movie buffs and the occasional famous actor or director, has grown from 1.8 million users worldwide in March 2020 to More than 14 million users This summer, the app has increased its monthly active user base by 55% in a year, according to Sensor Tower.
“We put a lot of work into the tone and voice of everything we do, from community policies to editorial to social media, to guide people on how we want them to behave on Letterboxd,” says Gemma Gracewood, the app’s editor-in-chief. “We talk about movies.”
And that’s comforting in a world where political and cultural wars are forced upon us via algorithms. “Social media users have been turning to niche apps and spaces for a long time,” says Jess Maddox, an assistant professor of digital media at the University of Alabama. “Paradoxically, as major platforms like Twitter/X, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram push more algorithmically curated feeds, users may be less exposed to the content they want to see.”
The welcoming nature of hobby apps and the way they are designed for sharing passions and hobbies means they are a much kinder place than the brusque racism you might find on X with an erratic twist. “It’s a way for people to connect through common interests,” says Dr Carolina Are, a social media researcher at the Center for Digital Citizens at Northumbria University. All of this means that apps can spend less time, effort and money on content moderation (assuming civility is paramount) and instead focus on improving the overall experience.
“The thing about Letterboxd is that there is no ‘central plaza’ like on X; it’s a single-channel conversation,” says Gracewood. Comments are made online, similar to those on the Guardian and Observer websites, meaning it’s less possible to repost content to a main feed to encourage a flood of comments. Similar situations exist on platforms like Goodreads and Strava, where it’s possible to communicate and message others, but not easily shame them publicly.
Because hobby apps are more pleasant places to live, people spend more time on them, and over time, they can become services worth more than advertised. That includes finding people with similar interests that you’d like to spend time with romantically.
One reason people may be starting to find love on apps that aren’t explicitly designed for that purpose is that expectations are lower and the environment is therefore less sexually charged. “Dating apps feel like a dating supermarket and something you have to do if you want to have any kind of connection,” Are says.
She notes that while dating apps are trying to shed their superficial reputation as hookup sites, they still display giant photos of users to gauge compatibility. “A lot of people are getting quite disillusioned with being judged by appearance,” she says. “In general, there’s a bit of disillusionment with the dating culture facilitated by the platforms, because it seems so impersonal. It’s all facilitated by an algorithm. And it doesn’t seem to be very helpful to people.”
According to recent financial figures from Match Group, the company that operates the most well-known dating services including Tinder and Hinge, hobby apps’ profits are losses for dating apps. From a high of over $175 per share in October 2021, Match is now trading near $36 per share. The firm announced 6% job cuts in July due to a decline in paying users.
But corruption is not limited to the big beasts of the game. An analysis of the top 200 dating and social networking apps by Deutsche Bank – titled Dating: The Dating Debate – Have We Hit Saturation Levels? – suggests that global downloads have stagnated.
It also helps that hobby apps feel like a more cohesive and friendly community. That’s not just because people are nicer: Letterboxd has a group of moderators who are in charge of making decisions. “Zero tolerance” approach to overt or coded hate speech, racism, homophobia, white supremacy, transphobia or any other marginalizing attitude.
Letterboxd has fewer than 10 employees who moderate content, Gracewood says, and they typically don’t need to step in often. “I can’t say whether we’ve benefited from the cultural and mission shifts at other social media platforms, but I can say that from day one, we’ve always cared deeply about what building an online community looks like and how to keep it free, good, and enjoyable.”
Whether that lightweight approach is compared to social media apps (TikTok employs 40,000 content moderators worldwide, while Meta is reported to have 15,000 – how long that will last remains to be seen. “It seems like all apps are born without moderation, then something bad happens and they go under intense moderation,” Are says. “So maybe[hobbyist apps]will follow that trajectory as well.”
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Chris Stokel-Walker is the author of The rise of TikTok: China’s explosive app and the superpowers’ race for social media (Canbury Press, £9.99). To support the Guardian and ObserverOrder your copy at guardiansbookstore.comShipping charges may apply.
