The Dating Revolution
The Internet has revolutionised the way you do things, making it possible to do what were once considered to be outside activities in a virtual online world that you can access through your gadgets. With online networks, you can easily communicate with other people despite being several hundreds of miles away from them.
Dating, in particular, has evolved immensely from the typical friend and family recommendations to the now-popular dating sites. The online dating space has exploded so much that about 39% of couples in 2017 said they met online, compared to 22% in 2009. With the continuous advancement of technology, the possibilities of online dating continue to grow.
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Shortly after the modern newspaper was invented in 1690, British newspapers started publishing personal advertisements to help British bachelors find wives. One of the first known ads was one of a 30-year-old man with a good estate who was willing to match himself to a young lady with a fortune of about £3,000.
Later on, ads became a way for the gay community to meet discreetly since homosexuality at the time was punishable by law. Advertisements, however, were mostly posted by high-society men. When the first woman posted an ad in 1727 to look for someone to spend her life with, she received much backlash and rejection.
Although the act of publicly advertising the need to find a partner was seen to be nontypical in the early 1800s, it slowly crept into the mainstream when newspapers like The Marriage Gazette became massive hits in the newsstands.
In 1870, San Francisco created the first newspaper for singles, known as The Matrimonial News. Women were allowed to post ads for free, while men paid 25 cents to do so. As ads were more accepted in the early 1900s, they became a way for lonely World War I soldier to find women or pen pals.
Data in Dating
As technology started to pick up in the early 20th century, data became more widely used in the matchmaking process. A Stanford project in 1959 was one of the earliest uses of the standard matching algorithms today. The project made use of an IBM 650 that determined similarities among 98 participants using a 30-question profile. A few years later, in 1965, Harvard students created Operation Match, which was used by more than a million daters. Users would pay $3 to answer a questionnaire and receive a list of potential matches in return.
Decades after the success of Operation Match, Kiss.com was launched in 1994 with more modern features on online dating. A year later, Gary Kremen created the famous Match.com, which continues to be one of the most popular dating sites used today. By 1996, there were already 16 dating sites listed in Yahoo.
Throughout the years, popular culture became a driving force to increase the popularity of dating sites. For instance, the 1998 movie “You’ve Got Mail,” featuring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, who fell in love over the internet, shed a positive light on the idea of two people meeting and getting together online. In 1982, the song “Computer Love” also made it to the #1 spot on the UK singles chart.
40 years after the creation of Operation Match, Harvard students launched what is now known as OKCupid. The site lets users list prompts and questions to test how likely it is for them to get along with potential matches.
By the 21st century, dating sites had grown so much that it thrived even with the introduction of social networking sites like Facebook in 2004. As dating sites became the norm, however, there grew a need to spread awareness on the possible risks of entering the online space. As a result, the documentary Catfish was released in 2010 to give online daters and other viewers an idea of the dangers of being catfished.
Online Dating Today
The stigmas associated with online dating have gradually decreased, with more and more people becoming accepting of dating sites recently. Several dating sites have also entered the online space with more advanced features, while existing dating sites continue to improve on features like security. By 2009, 61% of same-sex couples had found their partners online, and today, over 40 million Americans have tried online dating.
Fitafy is the Aussie-born dating app that is experiencing strong growth popularity and proving to be a game changer for fitness singles and the Airborne Magazine team have gathered this information on it…
The dating app is solving a heartbreaking problem for the world’s fitness singles: finding a soulmate who shares their passion for healthy living. FITAFY harnesses cutting edge technology to help active people easily and safely ‘find their fit’ – and it’s already a runaway success.
With fifteen million swipes, 600,000 messages, 500,000 matches and two engagements so far, the Australian-born app is revolutionising romance for fitness-focused singles.
FITAFY’s unique features are not based on weight, shape or ability but rather interest, hobbies and personal dietary preferences – hello fellow vegan, keto or intermittent faster. The app allows users to quickly find internet dating matches who enjoy the same activities, share similar fitness levels and goals.
Created in Perth by tech entrepreneur, WAFL footballer and fitness veteran Stephen Mansfield and tech professional Cem Miral, FITAFY was inspired by chats with gym buddies who were kicking fitness goals while their love lives stood still.
“They were frustrated that existing dating apps are saturated with people who don’t share the same lifestyle values,” says Mansfield. “It’s very difficult to filter them out.”
In a survey of the Australian fitness community, 100 percent said it was essential for their partner to lead a healthy lifestyle, 100 percent lamented that it was hard to find someone in the current dating sphere – and 100 percent said they would pay for an app that helped them find their fitness-focused love match.
Time was the major hurdle, according to Miral. “Active people are busy. Outside work, their hours are filled with exercise, preparing healthy meals and the many other commitments involved with active lifestyles. That leaves very little time for finding meaningful connections.”
In 2021, picking up at the gym is a big no-no. “There’s a motto out there in the gym community: ‘don’t’ screw the crew. The question from fitness singles was always the same, say the FITAFY co-founders: why should I have to choose between love and a healthy lifestyle.” With statistics showing that 54 percent of couples in 2020 met online, Mansfield and Miral saw huge demand for FITAFY.
Every unique FITAFY feature streamlines the search and boosts the odds of finding a match. Detailed filters and an intuitive interface allow users to share their favourite activities, dietary preferences and fitness levels on their profile.
Safety is embedded into the app, with gold-standard selfie facial recognition software confirming your identity with a blue tick, protecting against catfishing.
In a standout feature and a first for dating apps, FITAFY’s powerful technology links to your fitness apps and devices, so you can share your activities and goals.
API integration connects with Apple Watch, Fitbit, Strava, Google Health, Apple Health and more, so users can display a snapshot of their active lifestyle on their profile, right down to average calories burned per day or the time and distance of their most recent activity. “It provides transparency,” say the co-founders. “You can see at a glance how active other users are.”
Fully inclusive and with a focus on respect, welcome, wellbeing and community, FITAFY is also a platform where fitness lovers can meet like-minded friends, and find inspiration and motivation.
“We hope the app also encourages users of all fitness levels and preferences to share and meet their fitness goals, whatever they may be,” says Mansfield. “From walking to yoga to team or elite sports, you’ll find a community on FITAFY.”
After its flying start in Australia, FITAFY has already taken off in the UK and will launch in the US late this year, fuelled by Series A funding. The plan for this Aussie app is to keep expanding globally, ensuring every fitness lover in the world can find their fit, and enjoy a relationship that’s healthy in every sense.
Learn more about Fitafy by visiting the site here: https://www.fitafy.com/
