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Frustrated with dating apps, more are trying in-person speed-dating

The pandemic brought more people online to meet up, and now there has been a noticeable amount of people trying speed-dating in person.
Frustrated with dating apps, more are trying in-person speed-dating
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Are people really trying to date the old fashioned way? Bela Gandhi thinks so. She's the founder and dating coach at The Smart Dating Academy. 

Gandhi said, "I love speed-dating, you walk into an event — women and men or vice versa — you sit down in a chair for five minutes, you talk to a person, you rotate and you meet the next person."

She calls it an efficient way to meet people in real life. And for some, beginning the encounter online just doesn't work. A number of recent headlines say dating app fatigue is here, and it's real. 

Neither speed-dating or online dating are anything new at this point, but it does signal that making interpersonal relationships — at least the start of them — is trending toward real life first. 

Data from Eventbrite shows that speed-dating events increased by 64% from 2022 to 2023. Events for those wanting to date in person have surged, according to data, as we move farther away from the pandemic era. 

SEE MORE: Tinder, Hinge, other dating apps turn users into 'addicts,' suit says

But, the internet still has its foot in the door as artificial intelligence slowly becomes woven into much of what we do. Match.com said 6% of singles turned to AI to help them with dating, and 43% of singles used AI to create their dating profiles. 

As many as 37% of those looking to date used AI to write their first message to potential matches on Match.com, according to the site. 

Gandhi said to be careful — you want the person to fall in love with you, and not artificial intelligence, or a "bot" as she put it. 


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