Okcupid Marriage
In recent months, some of my reporting on CTech has been surrounding the popular dating app OkCupid and what insights it can tell us about society. In March, I wrote about how people were 13% more likely to get a match if they signaled their vaccination status, and the following month I highlighted how 77% of Israelis express ‘concerns for the fate of the planet’ due to climate change.
OKCupid also offers a number of features for poly couples, such as the ability to link to their profiles. Additionally, as of this year, the majority of OKCupid’s user base is non-monogamous. Since OkCupid offers its users up to 5,000 questions that can be answered to determine the responses to some of these issues, and given my past interest in such data, I wanted a catch my own date.
Well, two months have gone by and an entirely new government has formed in the Knesset. Since OkCupid offers its users up to 5,000 questions that can be answered to determine the responses to some of these issues, and given my past interest in such data, I wanted a catch my own date with the company to find out more.
“We can add questions within seconds,” said Michael Kaye, the company’s Global Communications & Public Relations Manager. I caught up with him earlier this month to discuss two major things happening: the return of Tel Aviv Pride and the change of the Israeli government – a welcomed rotation after years of political and policy stalemate. “This weekend, when we were still getting the news alerts about Benjamin Netanyahu, we immediately added questions about how Israelis feel about the new government and how long they think the new government will last.”
One of the most striking aspects of OkCupid is how it differentiates itself from other dating apps. As well as conventional swipe and messaging services, the app also asks its users dozens of questions about a myriad of subjects helping determine possible matches among users. I once downloaded the app and was asked if I ate meat, and then suddenly challenged on my views about Trump’s border wall. “These questions are all about dating, relationships, and sex, but also politics, healthcare, climate change, gun control, marriage equality, and racial equality,” he told me.
Israel is a smaller country than most, and so we had to wait a few weeks for the data into Israeli opinion on the new government. Michael kindly followed up with me a few days after our call via email and provided the results from 1.5 million questions answered by Israeli users since Naftali Bennett became the country’s new prime minister.
How do you feel about the new Israeli government?
Finally! (51%)
Not sure (40%)
It’s a disaster (10%)
Do you think the new Israeli government will last?
I have no idea(52%)
Yes (25%)
No (23%)
According to the data collected by OkCupid, more than half of single Israelis have no idea how successful the Bennett administration will be, only feeling relief that it represents a definitive government after all these years. Only 10% of Israelis think it will be a flat-out disaster, with roughly an equal share believing it will – or won’t – last at all.
If you think that politics is not a sexy thing to discuss on a dating site that people use to find love, then you might be pleasantly – or drearily – surprised. As I wrote in March: “In 2019, 53% of OkCupid users said they couldn’t date someone with the opposite political opinion – with that number jumping up to nearly 70% in 2021. In total, 32% of OkCupid would rather share the same political beliefs with their partners than have good sex.”
“We know this is a hot topic for daters,” Michael told me when I mentioned the relationship between dating and politics. “In Israel, we’ve already seen 380,000 users say they enjoy discussing politics.” In the email follow-up, he provided the data that showed almost 50,000 OkCupid daters in Israel have said they like to discuss politics with their partners in a relationship. Of those, 63% prefer that their date shares their political views.
So, Israelis like fighting on dates – what else is new? Well, in an announcement that would coincide with Pride Month, Michael told me that OkCupid was adding 19 identities – up from 41 – to help make the platform be more inclusive for those in the LGBTQ+ community who may not fit into traditional labels. These include anything from gender identities to sexual preferences, positions, and body shapes.
“Israel has always been supportive of our LGBTQ+ efforts,” Michael affirmed. “Tel Aviv, but Israel as a whole, is a very accepting and inclusive country, which is why in all the marketing campaigns we’ve ever launched in Israel, there’s always a nod to the community or some level of inclusive messaging.” OkCupid appeared on a float at the Tel Aviv Pride March this year, marking the first time the dating app ventured outside of the U.S for such an occasion.
I was first exposed to the amount of data that something like OkCupid could provide when I was still in art school and living in New York. In 2014, I read “Dataclysm: Who We Are (When We Think No One’s Looking)” written by its co-founder Christian Rudder. The book took what was at the time 10 years of data to show us what users thought about love, sex, race, and identity. Today, in a world engulfed with social chaos and politicized vaccinations, it might be time for Rudder to gift us with an update.
“Our political questions have more than 100 million responses,” Michael concluded. “There have been more than 550 million responses to our questions in general in 2020 alone, and over 8.5 billion since we launched the app.”
If I had to choose one method of modern online dating to forever marry myself to, I'll choose OkCupid every time. I've found more success on OkCupid than I have on any other site to date, and no, I promise that they haven't paid me to say that. Not only is it filled with attractive singles within a reasonable distance to me, I can find out more about those people than the simple one sentence bio you get on Tinder and other dating apps. OkCupid also has all of the benefits of a paid online dating site without the monthly subscription. And the real kicker? Most of the people on there actually want to date. So if you're looking for more than a hookup, this site is the place to be.
That being said, with greater dating site power comes greater responsibility, and you must use it wisely. OkCupid isn't the type of place you go if you want to swipe through for a relatively superficial match: It's a place that takes time and a bit of commitment to creating a good profile and hunting down prospective matches in order to be successful. The biggest mistake you can make is not taking advantage of OkCupid's compatibility features; unlike Tinder, OkCupid actually works to try and find someone you'll have something in common with. And with that in mind, here are the details on the OkCupid mistakes you should avoid making.
1. Not Taking The Time To Fill Out Your Profile
As I said, OKCupid is giving you a profile for a reason, so take the time to actually fill it out. You may believe that no one is reading it, but a lot of people do take the time to see what you've written. Not only will it help clue other people in to some of the specifics of who you are, it'll help attract people with similar interests. And it makes it easier for them to reach out to you.
Okcupid Marriage Statistics
2. Forgetting To Answer The Compatibility Questions
Okcupid Marriages
Don't ignore this feature— it's one of the major things that sets this site apart from others. It's really awesome that OkCupid has a series of compatibility questions, and taking the time to answer them helps you out tremendously when navigating the site. Based on those questions, OkCupid will show you a percentage rating on each of your prospective matches to clue you in to how similar the both of you are based on your respective answers. The questions will also tell you what values you have in common when you click on their page. As a result, you have better knowledge of who you'll vibe with later on, and who you're likely to want nothing to do with. Can't say the same for Tinder.
3. Not Downloading The App
From my own experience on OkCupid, the app is a lot easier to use, but still retains all of the most important aspects of the site. The app also makes it easier to browse potential matches, and for all of you who do love swiping, the app has that feature too.
4. Neglecting To Read Someone's Profiles
If someone writes it, they obviously want you to read it, so why not take a second to look? If you take a moment to read someone's OkCupid profile, you'll get a feeling for what they're looking for, which can save you the awkward conversation later on. Also, getting a feel for their personality may make them more attractive to you.
5. Not Taking Advantage Of The Like Feature
I have come to use the “Like” feature religiously on OkCupid because it helps establish if I'm a mutual match with someone before I send the initial message. On Tinder, you'll know someone's instantly attracted to you because they swiped right but on OkCupid, you're free to message whoever, so you don't know until you talk to them. That is, unless you both “Like” each other. It means less of a chance of getting shot down.
6. Not Using Someone's Profile As Material For Your First Message
Let's be real: Saying “hey” is boring, and probably won't get you very far when trying to get to know someone. If you read someone's profile and lead in with a question, or comment on it, you'll immediately launch into a more natural, interesting conversation.
7. Ignoring The Compatibility Percentages
As hot as that one guy or girl mountain biking in his default pic might be to you, you should probably take the “14 percent match” into consideration before messaging them. When someone has a low compatibility percentage and a high enemy percentage, it's because you have little things in common. And, you probably disagree on some serious issues that are very important to you. My advice? Take those percentages seriously.
8. Only Putting Up One Profile Pic
I think this should be the Golden Rule of all dating apps and profiles. If you only have one picture of yourself, it makes someone less likely to actually pursue you because a) they don't have a good idea of what you look like, b) it gives off a sense of low confidence, and c) it looks like you're not putting in any effort. It sounds weird, but people can take subtle cues from someone's profile to gauge their temperament in real life, and if you're only posting one pic, you might seem a little shy or like you're trying to hide something. The more transparency, the better, especially if you're looking to meet up eventually.
9. Not Checking Who Viewed Your Profile
What's cool about OkCupid is you have the opportunity to see who is creeping on your profile before you say anything. If you looked at someone's page, and they looked at your back, there's a chance they might be interested. Also, it can clue you into prospective matches you haven't found when browsing.
Okcupid Marriage
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Okcupid International Marriage Broker
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