Single exchange

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A single exchange is an Internet portal on which mostly singles look for life or even sexual partners . The term contact exchange is used for such portals when the focus is on the search for an affair , leisure or hobby partner. Entries in these exchanges are a modern variant of personals .

The transition to normal social networks can be fluid, because some networks that are primarily aimed at maintaining friendship also support getting to know potential love partners. In German-speaking countries, this may apply. a. for Kwick , Tinder , Lovoo and Badoo .

Difference between single and partner exchanges

In the online dating industry, a distinction is made according to orientation with regard to age, the intention of the user and the search options. While casual contact and flirting are in the foreground in dating sites , users look for long-term relationships on dating sites (see online dating service ). In dating sites, the search is usually freely selectable according to criteria such as age, place of residence and other parameters and the average age is significantly younger than in dating sites. At partner exchanges, the search can be limited and contacts are mostly suggested on the basis of test questions and internal algorithms. Partner exchanges are also priced at a higher level.

market

There is a large number of providers on the market. A distinction can be made between large international providers, national providers and regional and specialized providers. Information on membership figures are not very meaningful: An international supplier, the total numbers indicates can in German-speaking countries show much fewer members as a national provider. A regional provider may have more members in “his” region than a national or international provider.

According to a study from 2013, the Internet is the second most likely way of finding a steady partner after getting to know it through the circle of friends (Cacioppo, Cacioppo, Gonzaga, Ogburn & VanderWeele, 2013). The Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media (BITKOM) determined that in 2006 a total of 6.8 million Germans visited a single exchange on the Internet. The turnover of the German dating sites is said to have been 65.6 million in the same year and grew continuously in the following years. In 2011 the industry achieved sales of 202.8 million euros (including adult dating sites). After the UK (211 million euros), Germany is the second largest European market, which was put at 811 million euros.

In 2008, social scientists from the University of Bamberg determined in a representative survey based on profiles and 1,800 telephone interviews: The majority of those searching were in their early 30s and two thirds of them were male. Their level of education showed considerable differences between men and women: men had a higher than average number of secondary school diplomas, while women with an Abitur were overrepresented. The researchers attributed the composition of those looking for a partner to the difficulties encountered by these two groups in choosing a partner outside of the Internet, as women and men had different demands when choosing their partners. Highly educated women therefore look for a partner with a similar educational qualification, while highly educated men do not always and necessarily choose their partners according to this criterion. There is a direct connection between the increased level of education among women, the reduced market value of poorly educated men and the result of the representative survey that precisely these two groups are found particularly frequently in dating sites.

offer

Most dating sites are based on databases in which participants can register themselves online and create a user profile . In addition to the usual information such as gender, age, height, weight, other information is often added to give the searcher more precise ideas. Usually several photos can be set.

The big single exchanges offer a free basic offer, which is limited to searching in the database and setting your own profile. Communication between those involved is usually only possible with a paid membership. Since dating sites usually have a clear surplus of men, some offer women the same range of services free of charge that men have with paid membership. There are providers who also allow contacts between their members in the free basic or standard membership. The number of these providers has decreased in recent years. The contractual conditions of a single exchange are diverse and must be assessed before registering a paid subscription. There are also some portals that offer a comparison.

As the competition between the dating sites is getting bigger, providers try to distinguish themselves qualitatively. Psychologically based tests on personality and agreement with potential partners are offered or specific target groups (e.g. academics) are addressed. Some dating sites offer partner suggestions at regular intervals through automatic comparison of the profiles, whereby the wishes of the users (age difference, children) are partially taken into account. The qualitative differences exist in the scope of the information in the profile, which extends to details such as favorite foods, holiday wishes, sexual preferences, information on education and language skills. This should make a differentiated search for a partner possible and promise success.

criticism

The authenticity of the users (age information) is checked by the providers in different ways, sometimes not at all. The test is also intended, for example, to prevent multiple registrations by a person with similar or different profiles. However, it cannot be guaranteed that all registered users are actually singles looking for partners. Images are usually checked superficially and do not guarantee that they match the real person. Many providers do not have to provide complete information (motive for the search, current relationship status). The distinction between finding a partner and finding an affair is hardly possible, even if the providers clearly show their focus to the outside world. Professional offers and use for other purposes (e.g. prostitution ) cannot be excluded in individual cases.

The Israeli sociologist Eva Illouz believes that searching for a partner over the Internet neglects the body and thus an essential point of attraction that is primarily accessible through intuition. The appreciation of a person as an entity is lost - the selection, structured according to criteria of efficiency, becomes more important. Self-view and manners can also change.

In a study from 2007 it was found that nine out of ten users lie about at least one property in the profile and that the most false statements are made about body weight.

Many dating sites advertise with the promise of being able to meet a suitable partner quickly. A survey carried out in 2015 states that only one in four members of the well-known dating sites actually met. In so-called casual dating portals, there are only a few real meetings between users.

Fraud risks

In addition to the reputable providers, there are numerous "black sheep". SMS dating providers use e.g. B. "animators" to persuade the user to the expensive reply SMS.

A problem in many countries is the so-called romance scam , a form of fraud in which criminals pretend to be businessmen on dating sites, send older women vows of love and ultimately ask them for money under the pretense of an emergency, or women pretend an emergency situation to men. The worldwide damage is estimated at over 100 million euros annually, the FBI alone recorded official damage reports from US citizens over 50 million US dollars in 2011. The single exchange scam report shows that large single exchanges and social dating portals also have the most problems with romance scam.

Dating site operators sometimes use simulated profiles - mostly of attractive, young women, who send contact offers to interested parties in order to advertise paid premium memberships that are associated with additional services. Some dating sites disclose this in their terms and conditions to avoid being sued for fraud. According to a study, almost half of all users do not read the general terms and conditions at all.

costs

The use of most dating sites is chargeable. Sites such as the English-language OkCupid , where costs are only incurred for optional special services, and the English-language Jaumo are exceptions in the industry. In German-speaking countries A. Finya (for young people), Jappy , Kwick , lablue (for older people) and Fischkopf (only Northern Germany) free of charge. With other reputable providers, the prices for a monthly subscription range between 10 and 80 euros, depending on the duration. Payment is usually possible by direct debit or credit card within the framework of established payment processors. Some dating sites allow payment by phone call, SMS, instant transfer or PayPal.

There is a large "gray area" between reputable, often even free, and obviously fraudulent providers. A so-called trial access, which is sometimes offered free of charge, is only valid for a short time and is automatically extended to an annual membership by some providers.

"If I want to benefit from [...] permanently, I don't need to do anything else. As a member, I can access […] at any time for a monthly price of […]. I can terminate membership at any time to the end of a reference year. "

The subscription only ends if you actively cancel. The full performance is only available through an expensive premium membership. On the other hand, we are enticed by the fact that the monthly costs are lower with an annual contract than with a contract that only lasts one month. However, some providers require the full annual amount in advance. The consumer protection center is a possibility to get help in case of doubt.

Legal position

According to German case law, subscriptions which establish ongoing payment obligations are not permitted. If you want to break away from a single exchange, you can accordingly terminate the subscription contract, which is aimed at dating, in accordance with Section 627 of the German Civil Code (BGB) and stop payments in accordance with Section 656 of the BGB.

In the case of international dating sites, the problem arises of different laws (e.g. permissible minimum age) and the respective responsibility for criminal offenses, which can result from the residence of the database operator or the respective user. This is especially true if an escort service is offered. Prostitution is prohibited in many countries (see Prostitution by country ).

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Online Dating 2011: A boom industry is growing up (PDF; 2.8 MB) Online-Partnersuche.de. Retrieved October 14, 2011, retrieved from the archive on July 30, 2020.
  2. ↑ Online dating study 2012/2013. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on November 30, 2018 .;
  3. ↑ John T. Cacioppoa, Stephanie Cacioppoa, Gian C. Gonzagab, Elizabeth L. Ogburnc, Tyler J. VanderWeele: Marital satisfaction and break-ups differ across on-line and off-line meeting venues. In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. National Academy of Sciences, June 18, 2013, accessed February 6, 2018 .
  4. ↑ The Online Dating Market 2011–2012 (PDF; 1.9 MB). Accessed November 26, 2012
  5. ↑ Lonely together: Fish meets bicycle , Spiegel Online, July 8, 2008, accessed December 30, 2015
  6. ↑ When it rains red roses ( Memento from December 26, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Radio interview; Self-testimony (accessed on Wednesday, February 9, 2011)
  7. ^ Hancock, Jeffrey (2007). The truth about lying in online dating profiles
  8. ↑ https://www.aboalarm.de/blog/online-dienst/sex-bots-fakeprofile/
  9. ↑ Stiftung Warentest: Singlebörsen im Test - Where the search is worthwhile , in: test, issue 03/2011, accessed on: January 3, 2013
  10. ↑ a b Der Schmu mit den Singlebörsen , FAZ, 2013, Anyone who finds a passage in the terms and conditions that reads something like : "The provider uses controllers who can conduct dialogues under several identities" must expect the Dream woman does not exist in reality.
  11. ↑ $ 50 Million Lost To Online Romance Scammers Annually . Report on FastCompany.com, accessed October 29, 2012
  12. ↑ a b The love trap: How lonely hearts are ripped off on the Internet ( Memento from July 20, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), ARD , July 21, 2014
  13. ↑ Online platforms - Failure to use the General Terms and Conditions in Europe 2016 | Survey. Retrieved May 23, 2019 .
  14. ↑ Finya: company website. Retrieved October 21, 2016 .
  15. ↑ https://www.singleboersen-vergleich.de/tipps/dating-portal-wie-bezahlen.htm
  16. ↑ https://www.nw.de/lokal/bielefeld/mitte/21713682_Abzocke-360-Euro-fuer-36-Stunden-bei-Parship.html
  17. ↑ BGH, ruling v. January 17, 2008 - III ZR 239/06 -
  18. ↑ § 627 BGB
  19. ↑ § 656 BGB