As the internet took off in the mid-1990s, people started looking for a better way to meet one another. Apparently, everyone grew tired of dating their friend’s friend from work who they “just had to meet.” This stance helped launched the first dating site, Match.com, back in 1995. Fast-forwarding 20 years later, dating apps have become one of the norms of our society.
Initially, online dating was viewed with skepticism. After all, it takes a lot of confidence to admit that an algorithm might be better a choosing our life partner than we ourselves are. However, at the present this stigma has mostly dissipated. More than 40 million people use an online dating service, and the NY Daily News notes that “More than one third of U.S. marriages began with online dating.”
What’s more, those marriages are less likely to end in the first year, and by some metrics, the couples are happier in the long run as well. The popularity of online dating has welcomed several other platforms as well. Popular names such as eHarmony, OkCupid, Zoosk, and Plenty of Fish have all thrived in our online dating culture.
Most recently, the popular dating app, Tinder, has taken the world by storm. More than 50 million people use the app each month, and it’s become a compelling part of our cultural lexicon. Of course, that’s not to say that online dating has been unambiguously good.
For instance, online dating has been incredibly popular, but it hasn’t always been incredibly effective. For example, according to data compiled by the Pew Research Center, more than 33 percent of online dating participants never even make it on a date with someone they meet on the dating site.
Even more troubling, users are reporting harassment and abuse from dating sites participants. An ABC News report found that “57 percent of women and 21 percent of men report experiences of harassment in online dating.” In short, online dating is great, but it’s not perfect, and it’s ready to be improved.
Blockchain technology makes its mark
Just like the internet allowed Match.com to change the dating scene in the mid-nineties, the blockchain is bringing that same opportunity to our generation.
The blockchain operates as a decentralized ledger system that is most famous for its role in allowing Cryptocurrencies , like Bitcoin and Ethereum, to flourish. It presents security and functionality features that have never been seen before. What’s more, the blockchain is capable of much more than just accounting for the digital currency.
Platforms can take advantage of its functionality to create more compelling and capable platforms than we’ve seen before. One platform, Hicky, is changing the online dating scene. More specifically, it’s making it better by using blockchain to solve problems and issues found in already-existing dating apps.
Using a mobile app and blockchain technology, Hicky is combining the best parts of human connections with the most powerful technology available. Using the platform, upwards of 50 million online dating users can find their perfect partner on an easy-to-use platform that dynamically changes the dating experience.
Dating in the Blockchain Age
Matchability
Dating sites are crowded places, especially if you’re a woman. There are far more men on dating sites than women, and women often find themselves inundated with messages and requests. Meanwhile, men are frequently frustrated that their messages go unanswered.
Through a tokenized dating economy, Hicky can balance the ratio of men and women so that everyone has a more pleasurable online dating experience. In addition, Hicky provides internal rankings that balance online and real-life interactions. After all, online communications aren’t the only thing that determines a successful match.
Security
Online dating sites collect droves of sensitive user data. This is necessary to ensure that users receive the most appropriate matches. With Hicky, the same technology that secures the most valuable cryptocurrencies in the world is also defending users’ data. The decentralized platform means that it’s immune to common threats that continuously inundate centralized dating platforms.
Authenticity
Hicky uses biometric verification to ensure the users are who they say they are. This increases accountability and verifiability, but it also significantly reduces the amount of clutter from false or phony profiles. As a result, users can operate with confidence, and they are more likely to be connected with a suitable partner.
Our lives are becoming more digital, not less. As a result, our dating lives are becoming more digital as well. Online dating is a normal part of the relationship experience, and blockchain platforms like Hicky are improving upon the first dating services that launched more than twenty years ago. Hicky is claiming this moment, and the relationships forged on its platform will define the next one.
