Dating applications: what future in the metaverse?
Digital technology has truly changed the way our society consumes by opening the field of possibilities. It never stops developing, thanks to new openings: artificial intelligence, augmented reality, etc. From a web 2.0, we tend towards a web 3.0 or even 4.0 according to international studies. From this new generation of digital technology, the following technologies are gradually emerging blockchainNFTs, cryptocurrency... We are now moving towards an even more advanced form of digital, called the metavers. The latter would benefit both individuals and companies.
What is the metaverse?
The metaverse seems to be an "inevitable phenomenon" according to Virtual-reality.com. It is the future because it changes "the gaming industry, the social industry, even the way of life".
From English metaverse, is the combination of "meta" ("beyond, with" in Greek) and "universe". In other words, it refers to a "shared virtual collective space, created by the convergence of a virtually enhanced physical reality and a physically persistent virtual space". Furthermore, it includes the combination of all virtual worlds, augmented reality and the Internet. In fact, it simply extends web 2.0 to a web 3.0 by keeping all its properties but declining them, without removing them.
It is also characterized by "persistent, shared, 3D virtual spaces connected in a perceived virtual universe" (Virtual-Reality.com, 2022). It is thus a complex notion generally designating a future iteration of the Internet but which constitutes neither a virtual space nor a virtual reality.
The dating market and the metaverse
The metaverse is, for the time being, seen as the future of social networks and the Internet. But is it also the future of dating applications?
Journaldugeek proposes interesting explanations in favor of the metaverse in dating. Indeed, online dating accelerated with COVID-19, where physically meeting someone was no longer possible. Online dating is now a reality, albeit a controversial one. In this configuration, the meta-verse seems to have a good chance in the dating market. Online dating is now widely democratized, which raises the question: will it be the same for the metaverse?
In any case, it seems promising since technologies facilitate the life of individuals.
Strong protests
Nevertheless, this progress seems to have its limits in the dating market. This suggests a meeting worthy of the episodes of Black Mirror. A breach of privacy, illegal practices from this dimension that can go as far as rape or sexual harassment ... many threats are to be considered. The law must also adapt to this new 3.0 ecosystem in order to limit the flaws. These are mainly ethical and identity issues that come back to this subject.
In addition, a study conducted by the dating application Happn revealed that 55% of French singles are not in favor of a meeting that is even more virtual than it already is. 64% of the respondents are also against a "virtual first date 100%" according to AirofMelty.
With the metaverse on the dating market, we will also enter into a dating 3.0. Digital technology has already largely shaken up the codes of love and relationships with others.
