• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

3

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

3

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Commentary

Why Millennials Will Swipe Left on Facebook’s New Dating Service

By
Chelsea Reynolds
Chelsea Reynolds
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chelsea Reynolds
Chelsea Reynolds
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 17, 2018, 3:55 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

On May 1, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the social networking site’s foray into online dating. “There are 200 million people on Facebook who list themselves as single,” Zuckerberg said at the F8 Conference in San Jose, Calif. “So clearly there’s something to do here.”

Within hours, stocks for Match Group—the parent company to OkCupid, Tinder, PlentyOfFish, and Match.com—had plummeted more than 20%. The Twittersphere was abuzz with speculation about Facebook’s monopolization of online dating.

For a moment, the end of the hookup app seemed imminent.

A Financial Times headline read, “Facebook threatens to upend online dating market,” while Wired suggested, “Facebook’s New ‘Dating’ Feature Could Crush Apps like Tinder.”

But as a scholar of digital media and sexuality, my hunch is that these headlines sensationalize Facebook’s impact on online dating ecology. News of Tinder’s death has been greatly exaggerated.

Like we’ve seen in other media industries, online dating is going through its fragmentation and diversification phase. New technologies typically do not simply replace old technologies—at least not immediately. People tend to adopt new media while continuing to use their favorite “old” media.

We still read books even though we have iPads. And video didn’t kill the radio star. The same goes for the online dating marketplace. In an era of vast options, online daters can choose to use both Facebook and FetLife, Tinder and ChristianMingle.

The average online dater belongs to 2.4 dating sites or apps, according to the research firm ReportLinker. Being active on one app doesn’t preclude being active on another.

Facebook is also framing its dating platform in opposition to swipe-left, swipe-right, gamified apps that rate potential partners on photos first.

“Now this is going to be for building real, long-term relationships, not just hookups,” Zuckerberg explained at F8, with mockups of Facebook’s dating features floating behind him. The app’s algorithm matches singles based on mutual friends, similar likes, and common events attended. It harnesses users’ real-life social networks to facilitate romance.

That’s a fundamentally different model than geolocation-based apps like Grindr or Tinder, which are popular with millennials. (And it’s a far cry from the hot-or-not site, FaceMash, that Zuckerberg created while in college, before launching Facebook.)

My estimation is that Facebook’s dating feature will appeal to over-40 adults—folks who will easily pivot from Facebook’s social networking service to the dating service. It will help connect people who need activity partners and who want to bond over common interests. It might be a great option for divorcees and widowers.

At the same time, Facebook can expect continued declining popularity among young people. Singles under 40 will continue to search for partners in all corners of the Internet—and that means they’re unlikely to completely jump ship to Facebook’s dating service.

After all, more than a third of online daters aren’t looking for love. The same ReportLinker survey found that 34% of them are just hoping for a hookup.

Good news: There’s an app for that.

Chelsea Reynolds is an assistant professor at California State University, Fullerton.

About the Author
By Chelsea Reynolds
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Commentary

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Commentary

t
CommentaryMedia
Netflix could turn NBC into its biggest bet yet — and this time, the math actually works
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven TianJune 30, 2026
16 hours ago
wb
CommentaryLeadership
I grew BDO from $600 million to $3.4 billion. Here’s the 3-part formula that made it possible
By Wayne BersonJune 30, 2026
20 hours ago
vinod
CommentaryData centers
Vinod Khosla: AI’s energy crisis has a fix — and it doesn’t need the grid
By Vinod KhoslaJune 30, 2026
20 hours ago
marc
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here’s why that changes everything for the next 250 years
By Marc AndersenJune 30, 2026
21 hours ago
mcmaster
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
Boston Dynamics CEO: America’s next 250 years will be built by robots. Here’s what’s standing in the way
By Amanda McMasterJune 30, 2026
22 hours ago
ac
Commentaryclimate change
Top climate tech exec: Europe is sweating through a heat crisis America solved decades ago
By Taco EngelaarJune 30, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
6 days ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
4 days ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
2 days ago
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
AI
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
By Catherina GioinoJune 29, 2026
1 day ago
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
Commentary
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
By Marc AndersenJune 30, 2026
21 hours ago
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
Environment
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
By Catherina GioinoJune 28, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.