True Love in the Metaverse

Co-Authored by Kim Callaghan

Online dating has normalized in the past 20 years, and a new option has risen; dating in the Metaverse is set to become the new normal. Of course, dating services have been around for decades, with the first matchmaking service involving written and mailed correspondence. However, once computers arrived on the scene, applicants could be matched up through algorithms to find true love - and then correspond with them through the mail, phone calls and pre-recorded videotapes

Fast forward a few decades, and dating services moved online. When everyone started to have smartphones, dating apps became more popular. As these apps gained traction, people could choose the dating app that best suited what they were looking for in a partner, through religion, interests, sexual or relationship preferences.

Initially, there was a stigma associated with meeting someone online. A lack of trust in new ways of dating caused many people to hide the fact that they met their partner online. However, that's no longer the case. In 2019, nearly half of all 18 to 29-year-olds in the US had used a dating app. Currently, over 40% of relationships in the US start online.

With nearly half of the dating population using apps and services, it is now the beginning of a new dating era - Dating in the Metaverse.

As the Metaverse expands and the world of opportunities grow, dating applications have joined in to elevate online dating. They have created a new wave of dating options and interactions for their users. 

Match Group, which parents large dating apps such as Tinder, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, and OkCupid, highlighted that their 2021 Q3 revenue was over 800 million US dollars. This revenue was generated by more than 16 million users, with 16% of those paying for special features within the application. 

While users may decline slightly as global COVID-19 restrictions relax, that does not mean that Match Group will be limiting their innovation for dating within the Metaverse. Hyperconnect, which Match Group owns, focuses on developing social apps. One goal of Hyperconnect is to create avatar-based dating within the Metaverse through virtual areas such as" Single Town" so users can connect with fellow singles using their digital identities. For example, when visiting a virtual bar or club within Single Town, individuals can use live audio to connect while deciding whether they want to pursue one another outside of the virtual space. 

As dating in the Metaverse continues to develop, it creates another space where NFTs can be bought, sold and utilized. For example, what could be more romantic than receiving an NFT of a rose? For someone dating in the Metaverse, the rose vendor at a restaurant could become a digital version of these sellers, catching couples in romantic moments. And for those dating in the digital world, and NFT gift could be just as romantic as a physical one.

Apps that use the Metaverse as their dating platform could also use NFTs in various ways. Want to get your profile noticed? Purchase tokens that highlight it to other users. Or purchase NFTs of clothing or merchandise that gives your avatar a certain status visible to others dating in the Metaverse. Once people have been dating for a while, in the Metaverse or in-person, NFTs of dating milestones could be sold by dating apps or created by individual users. For example, the first message sent or screenshots from the first online date could replace the movie or event ticket stub from the first dates of the past.

Throughout the ages, dating has evolved and adapted based on the ways singles interact with each other. In this new wave, individuals are interacting with each other using their digital identities more than they are physically present, and it's easier to connect with people on a global scale more than ever. Dating apps such as Tinder allow users to purchase additions such as the Tinder Passport to meet potential partners in countries across the globe. Gaming and technology have become a hub of interest for individuals, leading people to find connections worldwide on a deeper level.

Connecting with users in a digital world through virtual hubs such as bars in SingleTown will allow users to merge the line between "traditional" and "non-traditional" dating. They will create a new wave of familiarised dating that can build deeper relationships and allow people who may have initial hesitation and anxiety to get a more substantial chance to date and form connections. Are you looking for true love? Maybe, you can find it in the Metaverse.