What does the future hold for dating?

The internet has streamlined, enhanced, and advanced a number of different sectors, with the dating scene enjoying an incredible makeover in the technological age. Dating sites and apps have opened up a whole host of new possibilities, allowing even the shyest people in the world to find love. And it seems that things are only going to get better as the industry is constantly being refined and improved. New technology could soon be around the corner to completely change the way people find their perfect partners.

Going out to bars, restaurants and clubs to meet potential suitors is swiftly becoming a thing of the past. Now, more than 50 million people have tried online dating and this number is growing. A scene which was once only available to suave pick-up artists and raconteurs brimming in confidence has opened up to allow even the most timorous introverts a shot at finding a match. When taking part in online dating with Badoo, users can filter out people who aren’t compatible and only see results for people with similar interests. This helps speed up the process of finding the right person.

There is a lot of speculation as to where things are heading in the dating industry. But it seems reasonable to assume that advancements in technology will be incorporated to make the whole system more efficient. There was an episode of the hit series Black Mirror that imagined a dating app running multiple simulations of a relationship to determine what percentage compatibility two people had. In the season four episode, Hang the DJ, two star-crossed lovers endured a topsy turvy relationship within a computerised world but ultimately decided they were perfect for each other.

While this form of compatibility test may be some way off in the future, there are conceivable things on the horizon. For instance, virtual reality could soon have a massive impact on the dating sector. Chat applications have become the norm since the introduction of social media in the late 2000s, and now it has been found that most teens prefer to chat online than in person. The next logical step for this is for virtual chat rooms to be created with the use of VR. The idea has been backed by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who is working on incorporating VR into the hugely popular platform.

If dating apps begin to use VR chat rooms, then they could introduce a form of speed dating online which helps people find their perfect partner at a much faster rate. Then when users are completely sure they have found the right person, they could then take the relationship a step further and meet in person.

With internet dating sites able to collect and store mass amounts of data and then match couples based on that, the industry is almost a sure-fire way to find the right partner. Technology is likely to make the process even better, and could offer some handy alternatives to the traditional dating scene.

The editorial unit