Dating today is drastically different today than when our parents courted each other, and you can expect the future of romance to hold even more change, especially given the proliferation of technology. Here are 10 trends I predict in 2014 and beyond. (Take note.)
The workplace is now the number one way married couples meet. (Overtaking introductions from friends and family). From discussions I’ve had with human resources experts, this trend is being acknowledged and with that acknowledgment, both policy and acceptance of office romances will ease, but I also predict these romances will remain complicated.
This is overdue. I personally know of several media outlets discussing this right now and I see an influx of self-development blogs and books geared towards men only. There is a growing trend and need for male relationship-oriented content and we’re about to see it explode in 2014.
Wearable technology like Google-Glass will change the game. In the future, single people will use these technologies to simply glance at someone we like in a quiet train or noisy bar and instantly know if they’re single. It could then link us to whatever dating site we’ve joined (or we can sign up) and get connected.
Holograms won’t just be for Tupac at Coachella anymore. Communication will be done on the latest device and when ready, you can determine the location and date as holograms. The member gets to see the other person in full and can determine whether they match their photo and whether their personality matches their personality online. Because it’s a hologram, you can date as you would in real life without the risk of any potential dangers.
Yes, really. I’ve been pitched by companies offering DNA-based matching technology. Soon, you won’t need to tell a system or person who you want, your genes will. You’ll simply indicate exactly the “type” of person you’re interested in and you’ll be matched with mutually interested people.
The supply of potential new dates will increase (as it has for the last few years) and with the demand for more first dates, organizations, businesses, and event planners will attempt to meet this need by increasing the number of “singles events.” Now, I’ve attended (and my clients have attended) many of these and they’re typically ineffective because they’re heavily weighted female. Expect this to change, too. Organizations will be forced to innovate and creatively find ways to encourage men to show up and participate.
Today, certain ethnic groups such as Blacks and Hispanics make up a disproportionate percentage of online daters as well as users of dating applications. This will change – quickly. I’ve seen in 2013 several minority groups emerge as fastest adopters of dating technologies. Expect in the future for nearly all who date to begin using some kind of technology.
In just my five years of being a dating industry professional, I’ve witnessed thousands of new sites launch, and thousands shutdown, too. This is not so much a trend, but where I see change is in the number of super niche themed online destinations – literally anything you can think of exists (or is launching as I write). Want to meet people who love wine? There’s a site for that. Want to meet people with high credit scores? There’s a site for that. Any theme you can think off, it’s coming to a dating website or app accessible to you. So search and you shall find.
Profile validation has long been talked about, and now it’s just about here. Dating sites will incorporate users’ social wealth – analyzing their Facebook friend lists and online persona, to give increased confidence for the authenticity of the profile. This will make it nearly impossible for scammers to target users of online dating sites and will grow trust within the online dating industry.
Ever notice how clear your friends’ skin look in their Instagram photos or perhaps how white their teeth are in those Facebook posts? It could be a result of their use of profile photo editing applications. I call this “facading” and I saw it happen at very high rates this year. As we continue to place more emphasis on profile photos in dating, expect more facading.
Comments, concerns or questions about my advice? Tell me about it below! Paul Carrick Brunson is a 2013 NAACP Image Award nominee and a 2012 iDate Matchmaker & Relationship Coach Of The Year nominee. His bestselling book It’s Complicated (But It Doesn’t Have to Be) is in stores now. Contact him directly on Facebook or Twitter anytime or visit his website.
