At a time when some will line up in front of the florist or when some will beg a wine merchant to find a Saint-Amour cuvée to celebrate this Valentine's Day, others will “swipe” for the feast of lovers. If we had to summarize with a gesture the impact of dating applications in our society, it is that of the “swipe” which has imposed itself in a spectacular way. Or, swipe with a finger on the screen of your smartphone to validate or not the proposed profile.
According to the latest major study on this topic, the 2018 online dating observatory (led by Ifop for the dating site comparator, Lacse), 26% of French people declared having completed registration at least once to a dating site or application (33% men, 21% women). They were 11% in 2006 (an increase due to the explosion in the use of smartphones). Young people are particularly fond of it, users aged between 18-34 years thus rising to 40%.
A true democratization of the clientele
Everyone is there and everyone is talking about it. This is the case in particular of the star host of NRJ, Cauet, who evokes in his show entitled 100% free, his experience "Tinder" after his separation from the mother of his children. “This boom in frequentation of dating platforms goes hand in hand with a deep democratization of their clientele. Indeed, while a dozen years ago, users of dating sites presented a much easier profile than the average, their experience is now as widespread in popular categories (33%) as among managers and higher intellectual professions (34%) ”, specifies the Ifop study.
But what is also changing today is above all the interest of the over 50s, and in particular that of women. One of them has also superbly highlighted this relaxation compared to online seduction: the American actress, Sharon Stone. At the end of 2019, on her Twitter account, she complained of having been excluded from the Bumble dating app (where women are the first step) because "some users have reported that it could not be me ! ". "If even Sharon Stone registers on a dating site, we feel a little less stupid when we do it," jokes Evelyne, on the same social network as the star.
"It is often friends and children who encourage us to take the plunge"
In 2020, is this subject still taboo for solo women aged 50 and over, who represent 62% of the 9 million singles in this age group? “It is not taboo but new and completely exponential. It is often friends and children who encourage them to take the plunge, "explains Héloïse des Monstiers, France director of Disons Demain, a website and online dating application, created in 2017 and dedicated to quinquas and more (belonging at Meetic Group).
When the first dating sites appeared in France, more than 20 years ago, these women were often already in a relationship, sometimes with young children. In short, not concerned when the use of these tools developed. Except that almost 45% of marriages end in divorce and, on average, women are 44 years old when he intervenes. In 15 years, all statuses combined (free union, civil union, etc.), ruptures have jumped by 63%.
Still 83% of dissatisfied users
Dating sites had already attracted the youngest for whom this approach has become commonplace. It's up to their mother to take an interest in it now. “When Let's say Tomorrow was launched two years ago, they were a bit hesitant at first. Today, we have as many men as women among those registered. 49 and 51% precisely. After 50 years, you know what you want. Unlike the youngest, who can spend months looking at profiles, exchanging…, the meeting is faster, ”decrypts the manager.
Leader on this target, with 1.3 million subscribers in France, the service primarily appeals to 50-55 year olds (36%) followed by 55-59 year olds (28%). But beware of disappointments. According to a European study conducted in January by YouGov, for the Once dating application, 83% of users of these apps are dissatisfied with their experience. The first reasons cited are the disappointing attitudes of users (zapping effect, sudden stopping to answer without giving explanations, etc.), the perceived aggressiveness of exchanges (insistent messages, explicit content, etc.) and the ineffectiveness of these services. Paradox when you hold us ...
