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We’ve all seen a rom-com meet-cute. A soon-to-be couple accidentally touches hands while reaching for the same item at a grocery store. Or ends up covered in coffee when one person literally runs into the other on their walk into work. Or gets into an argument during a minor case of road rage. The best meet-cutes in movies happen under dubious circumstances, often at the most awkward or embarrassing moments of the characters lives.

In real life, most of us would prefer to meet our future partners under better conditions, and thanks to online dating, these love-at-first-site meetings are becoming a thing of the past. According to an article published by Stanford University in 2019, matchmaking is now done primarily by algorithms. Today’s heterosexual singles are more likely to meet a romantic partner online than through personal connections. But is that actually what we want?

Image: OkCupid

OkCupid launched a new provocative ad campaign called “Ask Yourself,” which focuses on questions that can serve as deal-breakers to younger daters. The campaign doesn’t shy away from getting political, since the majority of its customers are most interested in partners that align with them politically.

The campaign includes illustrated outdoor posters that feature the most popular topics discussed among OkCupid users. For example one poster states: “It’s OK not to date a man who won’t vote for a woman” and “It’s OK to choose to only date someone who’s pro-choice.” It also features animations and a series of polls for Instagram stories, gauging people’s opinions on a wide range of topics from light to serious - such as thoughts on body hair, climate change, and Trump’s impeachment.

UK-based dating app Butterfly, catering specifically to transgendered daters, has just launched in India, according to Quartz.

India is becoming a hot market for the dating app industry and is a big focus for Match Group and Bumble, who have launched high-profile campaigns to promote their dating apps in the country, including investing in celebrity partnerships and hiring regional managers. 

However, transgendered daters are finding it hard to find love on dating apps, especially in India, even as they take off.

Bond Touch Bracelets

Online dating has given us wonderful things and terrible things, and some things that are wonderful and terrible at the same time. It allows us to connect with potential partners all over the world (wonderful), but it also opens us to the possibility of falling in love with a perfect match who lives hours, miles or even oceans away (terrible). Despite what they say about absence and the heart growing fonder, and the ever-expanding number of communication tools that claim to bring us closer, long-distance relationships are hard.

Entrepreneurs are eager to find ways to help couples stay connected no matter where they are in the world. Bond Touch bracelets use haptic technology to let you and your dearest physically feel each other, even when you’re apart. When you touch your bracelet, your partner’s matching bracelet vibrates and lights up in the color of your choice, letting them know they’re on your mind. Bond Touch bracelets are waterproof up to three feet, with a battery life of up to four days and a variety of accessory bands that can be swapped to customize your style.

Boomers are looking for love and increasingly turning to dating apps to do it. But Tinder isn’t necessarily what they are looking for.

BBC reported that the demographics with the biggest growth for dating app usage are 18-24-year-olds and those over 50. Between 2013 and 2015 when Tinder began to take off, online dating tripled for the younger demographic and doubled for those aged 55-64, according to Pew Research Center.

However, older daters were finding obstacles in using popular apps like Tinder that continue to cater to young users. For example, when Tinder launched its premium paid service, the company charged significantly more for older users, which caused an outcry. Some dating apps don’t let people over 50 sign up at all, so boomers were either having to lie about their ages or look for another platform. 

Match Groups CEO Mandy Ginsberg

Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg has announced she will step down from her role at the company for health and personal reasons.

The news comes as Match Group is in process of separating from its parent company IAC, which is expected to close in Q2 of this year. Shar Dubey, Match Group’s president, will take over for Ginsberg starting March 1st.

According to The New York Post, Ginsberg told Match Group employees the news in an email, citing personal and health reasons for her departure. She described a “personally trying” period according to reports. These included a recent surgery correcting a previous double mastectomy to prevent breast cancer as she was diagnosed with the BRCA1 gene, as well as a tornado slamming into her Dallas home, rendering it unlivable. Ginsberg is stepping back to take care of her health and her family.