Close Ad

This 'Slow-Dating' App Wants to Fight the Superficiality of Online Dating and Foster Meaningful Relationships
once dating app
Dating

This 'Slow-Dating' App Wants to Fight the Superficiality of Online Dating and Foster Meaningful Relationships

Are you looking for a deep, meaningful romantic relationship? Are you sick of endless swiping and empty hookups? You’re not alone.

According to a survey led by dating app Once, 40% of dating app users are experiencing “swipe fatigue” because mainstream apps are “superficial, geared towards casual relationships and don’t have adequate safety features.”


Once is a “slow-dating” platform for singles seeking more depth, and it just launched in the U.S., disrupting the likes of Tinder and Bumble with unique features that aim to combat catfishing, favor authentic connections and prioritize the safety of women.

So what exactly does slow dating entail? Once is named after the fact that once you match with someone -- the AI-driven algorithm selects a high-quality match tailored to your preferences every day at noon -- you’re only able to talk to that one person for the next 24 hours. Quite a big deterrent for people looking for spontaneous 3 a.m. hookups.

using-the-once-dating-app

“I am a true believer in technology helping you gain time, and making you more efficient with your life,” said CEO and co-founder Jean Meyer. “And the slow-dating movement starts from there.” According to him, one of the biggest problems of the dating industry is that dating is considered a volume game, and users are expected to swipe through hundreds of potential suitors in the hopes of meeting one decent person -- let alone the partner of their dreams.

RELATED: What to Do When You’re in a Toxic Relationship 

And speaking of decent matches, any woman who has ever been on a dating app has most likely received unwarranted, inappropriate messages from men, or, even worse, experienced scary behavior on a date.

On Once, women are able to rate their dates in the same way that they would give a rating to their Uber driver or AirBnb host. And both women and men can give each other ratings based on whether their date’s profile matched the person in real life, which helps avoid catfishing and encourage authenticity.

Rating people sounds awfully like an episode of Black Mirror, but, according to Meyer, the users have been very receptive to the concept and are not abusing the feature, which is meant to weed out dangerous behavior and highlight men’s positive personality traits -- not gratuitously give negative feedback based on subjective criteria.

“If you’re a nice guy and there was no chemistry, the woman [is unlikely] to give you a one-star rating,” he said.

“Be honest and be genuine, and you will be part of the many e-mails that we receive every day from people thanking us for helping them find love.”

Hot Stories

Why Jennifer Hudson Forgave Her Mother's Killer -- Life Stories By Goalcast

At the peak of her career, Jennifer Hudson faced a horrific family tragedy. Hudson's mother and brother were brutally attacked in their family home, and her seven-year-old nephew was kidnapped. What followed was a heart-wrenching manhunt to rescue her nephew and seek justice against the man who took her family. Hudson speaks from the heart in this video on what happened to her family and how she was able to move forward.

Celebrities
ideas and thinking

bright ideas

The 21st century has brought great new opportunities for entrepreneurs. The digital revolution has completely changed the way we live -- and the landscape for aspiring CEOs and innovators.

powerful-business-woman

Keep ReadingShow less
Entrepreneurs
Sad woman arms on face
woman crying on a beach

While life is beautiful in so many ways, it is also filled with struggles and obstacles. We can’t truly appreciate happiness without experiencing some sort of pain.

Pain is inevitable. No matter how much we try to prevent bad things from happening, life will strike. Maybe you will have to face grief, betrayal or a broken heart. These experiences can tear you down in unspeakable ways. Some of them will cause so much pain that you’ll do anything that comes to mind to avoid it or feel a bit of joy, even if just for a few seconds.

Keep ReadingShow less
Authors