Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Dec 26, 2024
Date Accepted: Mar 11, 2025
Are dating app algorithms making men lonely and does this present a public health concern?
ABSTRACT
Dating applications have increased in popularity during and after the pandemic and offer unique opportunities to connect for individuals looking for relationships. However, these apps are run by for profit organizations who are under immense pressure to maximize revenue. In order to this in the last two years, they have taken steps to modify algorithms being used in these apps. Such changes may be making dating more difficult for men, who are the biggest paying consumers of these apps. The ensuing frustration is causing increased loneliness in men and reducing the number of actual relationships. This article examines this problem in detail and suggests areas of research that could help uncover and tackle this exacerbating problem and concerns revolving around increased mental health issues in men as a result of usage of dating apps.
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Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.