{"id":260,"date":"2024-04-26T23:10:51","date_gmt":"2024-04-26T23:10:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pre-dating.com\/singles-magazine\/?p=260"},"modified":"2025-09-04T17:32:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T17:32:12","slug":"dating-app-blues-tired-of-apps-in-real-life-singles-meetups-are-rising-in-popularity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pre-dating.com\/singles-magazine\/dating-app-blues-tired-of-apps-in-real-life-singles-meetups-are-rising-in-popularity\/","title":{"rendered":"Dating App Blues: tired of apps, in-real-life singles meetups are rising in popularity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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You already know it and Pre-Dating agrees: Apps just are not the way to find quality people for a meaningful relationship. Even if there is a chance of meeting someone who shares similar interests, due to the algorithm and way dating apps are run, the chances you have of actually finding and connecting with that person are next to none (about 1%). The article below talks about people who were struggling with dating apps are now having success in in-person events like Pre-Dating’s speed dating and singles mixers<\/a> and our Trademarked Lock & Key events<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Many people are experiencing dating app fatigue and are looking for options beyond the screen. (Tatiana Lavrova via Getty Images)v<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tired of dating apps? Real-life singles experiences are making a comeback.<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Many users are tired of the \u201cswiping, matching, ghosting\u201d cycle and are looking to \u201cmeet cute\u201d in person.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\"\"Laura Clark<\/a> \u00b7 Editor\/Reporter <\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 26, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For Maxine Williams, 27, dating apps<\/a> felt exhausting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only was the New Yorker feeling screen fatigue coming out of the pandemic, but she was also noticing a frustrating cycle of \u201cswiping, matching, ghosting,\u201d and fewer guys who were interested in more than just hooking up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really difficult to find someone genuine<\/a>,\u201d Williams told Yahoo News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019s not alone. While options like Bumble, Hinge and Tinder saw years of steady growth, by offering virtual places for people to connect, many users<\/a> have started to notice their shortcomings<\/a> \u2014 endless in-app conversations that don\u2019t lead to dates, fake profiles, limited free options and an increased \u201ccringe\u201d factor when it comes to paying for supposedly better choices<\/a>. And while some users might not be breaking up with apps altogether, their eyes are definitely wandering to other options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The apps have noticed, with many shedding employees and rethinking their strategies. According to the New York Times<\/a>, Match Group and Bumble \u201chave lost more than $40 billion in market value since 2021.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what\u2019s the alternative? Turns out, many people are opting for something a little retro. Whether Gen Z or Gen X, some users are ready to trade in virtual experiences for IRL \u2014 that is, in real life \u2014 ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what else is out there?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A local company, which has hosted an \u201cIRL singles event\u201d in New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. The Founder, used her studies at Columbia University\u2019s Spirituality Mind Body Institute to create a multisensory approach to connecting with others. They launched the event in New York in 2022, in part to combat the \u201cbad behavior\u201d of ghosting and breadcrumbing<\/a> (basically stringing someone along) that she was seeing on dating apps. While the average age of attendees is mid-30s, the Founder said she\u2019s seen participants as young as early 20s (21 is the minimum age since alcohol is served) to people in their 60s. Ticket prices are set with \u201cintention,\u201d she said, to ensure that people who join are really invested in the experience. This is about learning a tool kit for more meaningful interactions, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While 30% of U.S. adults say they\u2019ve used a dating app, according to a 2023 study from the Pew Research Center<\/a>, that number hasn\u2019t changed \u2014 much less grown \u2014 from a similar survey by the organization in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, it\u2019s not apps that are the problem, argues a San Diego-based dating coach and podcast host who met her partner on a dating app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe issue is that people are noncommittal, and that people have options, and they know it,\u201d they told Yahoo News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A twist on a dating classic<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tired of the dating app scene, which seemed to rely too heavily on filters that could negatively affect women of color, she became enamored of something a little more old-fashioned: speed dating.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Dating apps including Tinder have also ventured into IRL experiences. (Tinder)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cDating apps have always been the norm for my generation. Literally since college, I\u2019ve been on dating apps,\u201d she said. \u201cSo we really heavily romanticize \u2018meet-cutes\u2019 in a different way than I think older generations have, because they\u2019ve always had that as an option, whereas us, it\u2019s like, \u2018Oh, you’re single? Get on a dating app.\u2019\u201d So in 2022, she launched an in-person dating company, giving speed dating a 21st century makeover by hosting events in New York, New Jersey and D.C. that capitalize on social media and celebrate diversity. \u201cI feel like women, especially women of color, there\u2019s been so much data over the years saying we\u2019re like the least desirable or the least swiped on, so I created my events, not just for people of color, just for the events to be diverse.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attendees shouldn\u2019t come with the sole idea of finding a lifelong partner but rather to meet people and have fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou probably won\u2019t meet your husband here, but it\u2019s OK. You\u2019re gonna talk to men,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd when was the last time you talked to more than two single men in person face-to-face?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat I suggest is just interject yourself into the community and into doing things that you genuinely enjoy so that you can meet people that are like-minded,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding friendship \u2014 and maybe love too<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A local travel company that organizes \u201cgroup adventures for solo travelers in their 30s and 40s,\u201d offers exactly that. To combat the \u201cworsening loneliness epidemic,\u201d the company aims to create \u201cmeaningful friendships\u201d through travel. They book trips to places like Tanzania, Finland or Sri Lanka, where they will meet others who might share similar interests. In fact, according to the company 80% of attendees keep in touch after their experience. \u201cOf course, sometimes these friendships may develop into something further \u2014 leading to long-term relationships or even marriages \u2014 but if that happens, it tends to be more impromptu.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are apps doing in response?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Companies like Match Group<\/a>, which owns apps including Tinder, Hinge, Plenty of Fish and Match.com, have been investing in their own IRL experiences. Match, in particular, has been hosting about 100 monthly events<\/a> across the U.S. and Canada since 2011. Tinder has also hosted a variety<\/a> of singles events<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bumble also created its own IRL events<\/a>, focused mainly on \u201ca return to real-life and in-person dating\u201d after the cooped-up pandemic years, but the calendar is currently empty<\/a>. A Bumble representative did not return Yahoo News\u2019 request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the day, while dating apps have dominated the coupling scene for more than a decade, more and more people are exploring life beyond the screen. With a changing landscape and fresh ideas for meeting cute, a path to romance has emerged beyond the swipe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might not meet the love of your life, but I think it\u2019s a great opportunity to just put yourself out there in a different way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You already know it and Pre-Dating agrees: Apps just are not the way to find quality people for a meaningful relationship. Even if there is a chance of meeting someone who shares similar interests, due to the algorithm and way dating apps are run, the chances you have of actually finding and connecting with that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":481,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[27,10,29,17],"class_list":["post-260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-dating","tag-dating-advice","tag-dating-trends","tag-singles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pre-dating.com\/singles-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pre-dating.com\/singles-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pre-dating.com\/singles-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pre-dating.com\/singles-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pre-dating.com\/singles-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.pre-dating.com\/singles-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":517,"href":"https:\/\/www.pre-dating.com\/singles-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260\/revisions\/517"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pre-dating.com\/singles-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pre-dating.com\/singles-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pre-dating.com\/singles-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pre-dating.com\/singles-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}