Millennial Man Analyzes Year on Dating App—Resulting Graph Is Eye-Opening

A man has shared an eye-opening graph showcasing his experience of using the dating app Hinge.

Dating apps are a popular choice for many single Americans today. In 2023, an analysis by the Pew Research Center found around three in 10 U.S. adults had used a dating app or site.

While these apps have helped match up any number of couples, they are not without their drawbacks, as Steven, a single man in his 30s from Canada, highlighted in a recent viral Reddit post.

Steven, who asked that his surname remain anonymous in this article, took to Reddit, posting under the handle TheCaptainCog, to showcase his experience of using Hinge for the past 12 months via a graph that broke down his likes and matches.

"I wanted to see how my experience on Hinge compared with other people's," Steven told Newsweek. "Overall I would say my experience on Hinge has been frustrating but much better compared to other apps. On Hinge I've met the most real people."

Marketed as a more mindful alternative to Tinder, Hinge has an estimated user base of 23 million.

It works by presenting the user with a stream of matches based on their personal preferences. If the user hits "like" on a specific part of an individual's profile and said individual does the same back, they are matched and given the opportunity to set up a date.

In the case of Steven, his 1,347 likes translated into 201 matches, 163 responses and 10 dates. Of those initial responses, Steven "ghosted" 70, a term referring to the ignoring of all communications by an individual, while he was "ghosted" by 83.

Of his 10 dates, five of these budding relationships were ended by the other person while Steven picked up "red flags" with two of his five other dates. The remaining three were ultimately deemed "not a good fit" leaving him single at the end of it all.

"From my data itself what stood out the most is the number of matches that were converted into dates. I knew going on that the match ratio would be small, but I didn't realize the unwillingness of a lot of people to actually go on dates," Steven said.

He had a theory for why this might be.

"The gamification of apps has turned dating into a dopamine hunt. Just like the rest of social media I suppose," Steven said.

Ultimately, Steven felt there were two "frustrating aspects" to his experience.

"The first is the locking of the matches most compatible to me behind a paywall," he said. "The second is when potential matches will stop talking for no reason, then come back three or four days later. So the first is an issue with the app and the second with people on the app."

Despite his rocky experience over the past year, Steven confirmed that against his "better judgment" he would likely continuing to use Hinge.

"There are unfortunately so few ways to meet people now," he said. "Am I enjoying it? Not at all. The number of times people stop responding or cancel on a date one to two hours before the date is easily in the double digits for me."

Steven still remains concerned that dating apps are superficial and only offer a "limited view of a person."

"It's only natural for somebody to find the best person they can," he said. "Apps also make people feel less real because they're just pictures and text on a screen."

Though he plans to persevere, he remains convinced there must be a better way of doing things away from screens.

"Meeting people in real life—not through cold approaching, but through sharing time and activities together—is a much better way to form connections," he said. "Not putting my self-worth in another person's hands."