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Love for Sale
Investigation

Love for Sale

Dating apps promise genuine connections and fairytale endings. But the reality is stark, with dodgy practices and environments where misogyny flourishes – and users are putting the industry on notice.

4 stories
Hook-up dating app Down used a Russian “review farm” to write fake assessments of its product.
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Behind the screens: Hook-up dating app Down and its place in a dark industry

Review farms, fake women messaging men and staff able to read your every message – the inside world of a dating app.

  • by Clay Lucas
The rising costs of dating apps are turning users off.

Paying to play the field: Why singles like Carly are deleting dating apps

They have redefined romance, but the honeymoon is over for dating apps as users become mentally exhausted with the swiping and small talk, not to mention the surging price to be noticed.

  • by Clay Lucas
A new wave of dating businesses is emerging, offering unique approaches to finding love and connection.

Reinventing romance: Dating events are back as singles sour on the apps

Dating apps redefined romance for a generation. Now, local entrepreneurs are trying to redefine the industry for 3 million Australian users as many abandon them.

  • by Clay Lucas
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Match, the largest player in the industry, owns dozens of apps including Tinder, Hinge, Plenty of Fish and OK Cupid.

Banned on one, blocked on all: Dating app abusers face platform-wide exile

Under a new industry code of conduct, users booted from an online dating service owned by a company with multiple apps will be barred across the other platforms.

  • by Clay Lucas

Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/love-for-sale-20240626-p5jotp.html