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  • Whether you're after guys with bushy beards, a partner who has a passion for classical music, or you want to find love for you and your pooch.

  • There's a dating app to meet your needs.

  • In 1995 match.com became the first major online dating site.

  • Today, there are hundreds of sites and apps.

  • It's gone from taboo to the thing to do.

  • But what impact is this having on society?

  • Whitney Wolfe could lay claim to being the 21st century's most prolific cupid.

  • As co-founder of dating app Tinder and CEO of Bumble, her digital-dating devices have generated 20 billion matches.

  • Some people might say app dating has completely revolutionised their life.

  • They've now found the love of their life and they would have never in 100 years ever run into that person.

  • Today, around 295 million people use online dating services all around the world.

  • The Netherlands tops the list, with 12.5% of the population dating online.

  • South Korea follows closely behind with 12.4%.

  • In China, one app alone, Momo, has 180 million registered users.

  • You have to think about what dating was before.

  • It was limited to your social network, to the people you knew.

  • And the funny thing about the way we act as people, um, we don't always branch out.

  • We don't always expand our networks.

  • But online dating has enabled people to meet potential partners from further afield.

  • I really do think it expands horizons and gives you access to being with people that you traditionally would have never had the chance to really grow close to.

  • One study by researchers at MIT suggests that online dating in America has led to more interracial marriages.

  • The technology has also made it much easier for people in minority groups to meet each other.

  • 70% of gay couples in America now meet online.

  • Dating apps are also popular with single, middle-aged people looking for love.

  • Some argue the apps are breaking down barriers and changing social norms.

  • Whitney Wolfe launched Bumble, because she wanted an app where women make the first move.

  • Traditionally speaking in real life women wouldn't have made the first move, they generally don't make the first move because society says that's not the right way to do it.

  • Society judges them for that and often blames and shames them for behaving in a confident fashion.

  • Despite the benefits of online dating, there are concerns too.

  • Meeting total strangers is risky.

  • Fake profiles are common and sexual predators can exploit the sites.

  • In Britain, the increase in online dating has gone hand-in-hand with a rise in dating-related crime, although the numbers are small.

  • Despite the growing popularity of online dating, the majority of straight couples in America still meet through friends.

  • But according to the projections of some online dating companies, 30% of all relationships will start online by 2026.

  • Online dating is big, and it's set to get bigger.

  • Maybe online love will conquer all.

Whether you're after guys with bushy beards, a partner who has a passion for classical music, or you want to find love for you and your pooch.

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