Current US Trends in Internet Dating
Residents of the US today are spending in excess of $500 million each year for memberships to internet dating sites. According to the OPA (Online Publishers Association), other than pornography, the internet dating niche is now the largest “paid content” sector online. It is estimated that by 2011, Americans will be spending over $930 million in the internet dating market on a yearly basis.
Additionally, comScore Networks estimate that Canadians spend more time at internet dating sites than any other people in the world. As of last year (2009), there were over 900 different internet dating and lifestyle websites. Those numbers have been increasing consistently since 2004 when statistics were first being documented. While there are still some free online dating sites, the larger commercial companies dominate the majority of the market share.
These companies include AOL Personals, eHarmony, Match.com, and Yahoo! Personals. Another interesting fact is that the interest in internet dating amongst Baby Boomers has soared. Recent statistics have revealed that over 30% of Baby Boomers are currently single which probably explains why they are such a prevalent force on most internet dating sites.
An article in a 2002 issue of Wired Magazine estimated that by 2022 it will seem ridiculous for people to find dates by using any method other than internet dating sites. As populations continue to grow, demographics will become increasingly more popular as a method to fine-tune an individual’s search for a match. Mark Brooks, an online personals expert (onlinepersonalswatch.com), reports that some internet dating sites are in the process of developing handwriting analysis in order to match up like-minded individuals.
