Getting the Spark Back
In the hour before the Chaotic Singles x Tinder dating event kicked off at the Moxy South Beach in Miami, the sky opened and the downpour began. The patrons of the nearby restaurant where I’d been dining were caught in the deluge, the rain soaking them as though they’d just swum in directly from Biscayne Bay.
This perhaps had a cleansing effect—some sort of spiritual clean slate upon which to begin the night’s mingling endeavor. But on a more literal level, it meant that the hotel’s gorgeous rooftop would no longer be the venue for the night’s icebreakers and hopeful attempts at romance. Instead, the event would be held in the lobby, alongside guests of the hotel. It felt intimate but intimidating, especially considering what I was there to do. My assignment was simple: explore the rise of app-sponsored in-person dating events. Nervous, I took a breath and stepped into the lobby.
Many have asked if this year will mark the death of the dating app. Headlines have emphasized that apps are facing an “existential crisis,” that Gen Z is “ditching dating apps,” that we’re all “sick of swiping,” and that we’ve “fallen out of love” with the technology. Since 2013, dating apps have been the most common way couples meet, but now they’re on the decline. Stock prices have fallen dramatically—Bumble’s dropped from $75 at its IPO to $6, last I checked—while Tinder’s annual downloads currently sit at around two-thirds of what they were at their 2014 peak. The problem, naturally, is that many people feel as though the apps no longer work. They’re not meeting the right people on Bumble, Tinder, or Hinge, but they’ve forgotten how to meet people in the real world too.
