Life
This Is What Happens To Online Dating January 1
By now, chances are pretty good that you’ve tried online dating at some point, whether it’s on your computer or via your smartphone. With the New Year right around the corner, what happens to online dating on January 1? In a nutshell? It blows up.
"The beginning of a new year is the busiest time for PlentyOfFish, and the first Sunday of the year always brings the largest surge in signups and site traffic," Shannon Smith, Communications Manager at PlentyOfFish (POF), tells Bustle. "January 1st can signify a new start, so this year in particular we may see more singles than ever getting head starts on their resolutions. With many people ready to recommit themselves to finding someone special after the holidays, it's a great time to be looking for love."
Sound familiar? Overall, online dating is a huge phenomenon. And why not, right? Dating apps and sites are easy and efficient, and you can literally be swiping one minute and on a date IRL a few minutes later. According to findings by the Pew Research Center, 15 percent of adults reported using online dating sites or mobile dating apps last year. For 18- to 24-year-olds, the percentage has nearly tripled from 10 percent in 2013 to 27 percent today. Personally, I bet the numbers are even higher — and across all age groups — since not everyone admits to online dating.
So if you're single, looking, and don’t have a New Year’s Eve date, no problem! For everyone online dating out there, being online on January 1 is the place to be. Here is what some popular dating sites and apps found about their users in January. So if you’re planning on online and/or app dating in 2017, you may want to get your online dating profile ready.
1Sunday, January 1 Is Expected To Be The Busiest Day Of The Year
Several dating apps report a ~huge~ increase in users on January 1. For instance, on POF, signups are expected to reach 110,546, which is a 48 percent increase above the average daily rate in 2016. That is a ton of people. They believe signups will peak at 2 p.m. PST on January 1.
New Year’s Day will be the biggest dating day of the year for Hinge, too. The app usually sees a 50 percent lift in registrations the Sunday after New Year’s, Hinge tells Bustle. Not only do Google Trends show that “dating” is searched more during the first week of the year, but Sundays are the most popular day to have a conversation, so to speak, with someone online. So, given that January 1 falls on a Sunday in 2017, record online dating numbers are expected, Hinge says.
Match, too has seen increases in online daters at the start of the new year, having seen a 60 percent increase in new singles coming to their site. “It’s the beginning of a brand new year, full of new resolutions and hope for finding that perfect someone,” states Match’s blog. “What better time to start than now, during Online Dating Season, the busiest (and most successful) time of the year for online dating.”
2Even After January 1, It’s A Busy Week For Online Dating
Dating app Happn found that users are more active the week right after New Year’s. Last year, there were more “Likes” (+33 percent), more “Charms” (+13 percent), and more “Crushes” aka matches (+19 percent) made during that time, which means users are more likely to find love come 2017, Happn tells Bustle.
"The New Year comes with new opportunities," Claire Certain, Happn’s Head of Global Trends and Events, tells Bustle. "For some, that could mean taking on another exciting year with a loved one or even being single, and for others this can mean a fresh start with someone new. Come 2017, our users looking for romance are definitely more open to finding that perfect stranger, and our data shows it. Last year, there were more 'Likes,' more 'Charms,' and more 'Crushes' made during the week of January 1, which means users have a much better chance of finding love in the New Year."
3January 8 Is A Big Day For Online Dating, Too
POF projects that Sunday, January 8 will be the second busiest day for them, with an expected 103,910 signups. And for the month of January, signups are expected to exceed 2.5 million. Crazy! So next time you wonder why your friends seem so MIA in January, now you know. Also, remember that you are not alone in your quest for finding a potential significant other online. If you thought everyone was doing it before, now you have statistical proof!
4Overall, January Is A Busy Month For Online Dating
It seems that you can’t go wrong if you date online in January. Match’s “Peak Season” spans from December 26 to February 14 annually. During that time, more than 50 million messages are sent, 15 million new photos are uploaded, and 1 million dates take place. So if you didn’t believe in online dating before, this should inspire you.
5More First-Time Online Daters Will Get Online
There’s a first time for everything, right, and why not January 1? Your New Year’s resolutions are fresh in your mind, and it’s likely you have dating resolutions among them. POF found that more singles than ever tried online dating for the first time in 2016. There were 18,176,325 first-time POF signups, and over half a billion conversations between members — 600,325,016, to be exact. Wow, huh?
There’s no wrong time to making dating resolutions, and January 1 seems like as good a day as any to begin.
