Identifying a Gap in Online Dating for Niche Communities
Dennie Smith experienced a moment of clarity while standing in a recreated World War I trench during a trip with fellow military history enthusiasts. She noticed a significant shortcoming in existing online dating platforms: they did not adequately serve people with specialized interests like hers.
"A lot of dating sites are just about volume, and they include fake profiles that conceal scams,"
Smith, who owns a hairdressing salon in Croydon, south London, resolved to enter the dating industry with a focus on the "big market of geeky people." She founded the Geek Meet Club to unite like-minded individuals while actively excluding the numerous fake profiles that she believes have damaged the online dating experience.
Her approach involves personally vetting each applicant, a process she finds rewarding.
"I'm very good at spotting a fake. But sometimes it's easy, one person submitted a photo of Boris Johnson!"She is willing to reject approximately 50 applicants monthly to protect her community of 3,300 members from inappropriate behavior.
Geek Meet Club emphasizes facilitating offline interactions.
"We do events, monthly quizzes, and I want to hire venues so people can come in costume."This reference to elaborate disguises popular at science fiction conventions reflects Smith's target audience.
"Comic and sci-fi conventions are a big pull for geeky people."
The club encourages members to meet face-to-face promptly, addressing the challenges posed by deception and fraud prevalent in online dating.
"I tell my members to meet in person as soon as possible, go for a coffee in the park, or on the High Street, to find out if the other person is legitimate."
Cherry Dating: Leveraging Technology to Combat Fake Profiles
Another initiative focused on filtering out dishonest profiles is Cherry Dating, created by Jo Mason, a City of London banker frustrated by counterfeit profiles on dating platforms.
"You look at profiles on these sites and ask yourself 'is this person real?'. You have to be like a private investigator researching people's profiles before you connect."
Mason highlights multiple shortcomings of online dating:
"Some people just want a fictitious romance but have no intention of ever meeting you. Or they're married, or just want an online relationship."
Catfishing, which involves deceiving victims using fake images or identities, manifests in various ways.
"The lower end of catfishing just uses a 10-year-old photo. But some people may not look like their photo at all, or be a completely different person."
To address these issues, Cherry Dating employs software that compares a selfie with official identification such as a driving licence or passport to verify authenticity. This verification step deters many potential members who choose not to proceed.
Mason draws parallels to her finance background:
"Big banks use this kind of approach to spot anomalies in accounts."
Cherry Dating also assesses users’ compatibility through a scoring system, enabling informed decisions about potential matches.
"If you're 80% compatible that's good, you don't waste time with someone who's 5% compatible."
Research commissioned by Mason reveals that 47% of British respondents believe no dating app meets their needs, and 40% report that dating apps have reduced their motivation to meet someone.
AI and Profile Authenticity Challenges
Sumsub, a company specializing in fraud prevention, surveyed 2,000 UK dating app users and found that 54% admitted to using artificial intelligence to enhance their online profiles.
Jocelyn Penque, a UK-based Texan dating coach and founder of Dating Classroom, addresses the complexities arising from false information and AI usage in profiles.
"I coach people about their strategies,"she explains,
"my target audience are people who've been successful but have not prioritised relationships."
With experience in the technology sector, Penque supports online dating, citing her father's successful relationship formed via Our Time, an app for older adults.
"My father is 79 and he met his girlfriend through Our Time, a dating app for older people."
Penque advocates for interest-specific and age-related dating platforms as more effective.
"Just as interest-specific sites are more likely to be successful according to Penque, so are age-related ones."
She also acknowledges the constructive role AI can play.
"A lot of people aren't good at expressing themselves, so Copilot or ChatGPT are useful if you don't like writing."However, she warns that imprecise AI prompts can lead to unsatisfactory outcomes.
"Your prompts must be focused on what really matters, what your values are. So tell Copilot if you want a serious relationship and would like to have a family."
Encouraging Real-World Connections
Penque emphasizes moving relationships away from screens early on. To this end, she organized a small group retreat to the Azores in May, approximately 1,000 miles off the coast of Portugal. The islands provide opportunities for whale-watching and reflection on finding compatible partners.
"We were sitting in the middle of the Atlantic, it's a completely different space, it's much easier for them to think about new possibilities there."This remote setting contrasts sharply with the digital environment of online dating.
Penque also shares a personal experience illustrating the phenomenon of ghosting in real life.
"I went out for a drink with a guy. We seemed to get along, but when he said he was going up to the bar he didn't come back."She inquired with the bartender, who revealed a pattern:
"I know him, he's been coming here for three years and doing that."
While AI has its limitations, it has not yet adopted such discourteous behaviors.
