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Thursday

Trying to fix the dating app backlash
Kaitlin Brito for NPR

The Indicator from Planet Money

Trying to fix the dating app backlash

Unanswered messages. Endless swiping. An opaque algorithm. The backlash to online dating feels like it's reached a fever pitch recently. For today's Love Week episode, why people are unhappy with online dating and what Hinge's CEO is trying to do about it. Also, a Nobel Prize economist delivers a little tough love.

Trying to fix the dating app backlash

Listen · 9:29
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Friday

Bumble & the trap of modern dating; plus, living ethically in COVID's aftermath

Bumble pickleball ad. COVID masks. Charley Gallay/Getty Images; Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Charley Gallay/Getty Images; Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

Bumble & the trap of modern dating; plus, living ethically in COVID's aftermath

This week, the dating app Bumble could not stay out of the news. First, the company launched an anti-celibacy advertising campaign mocking abstinence and suggesting women shouldn't give up on dating apps. Then, at a tech summit, Bumble's founder suggested artificial intelligence might be the future of dating. Both efforts were met with backlash, and during a time when everyone seems irritated with dating - where can people turn? Shani Silver, author of the Cheaper Than Therapy substack, and KCRW's Myisha Battle, dating coach and host of How's Your Sex Life? join the show to make sense of the mess.

Bumble & the trap of modern dating; plus, living ethically in COVID's aftermath

Listen · 32:16
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Monday

Women no longer have to make the first move on Bumble, the dating app that was launched in 2014 with the goal of putting more power in the hands of women.

Women no longer have to make the first move on Bumble, the dating app that was launched in 2014 with the goal of putting more power in the hands of women. Nikos Pekiaridis/Getty Images hide caption

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Nikos Pekiaridis/Getty Images

Business

Women no longer have to make the first move on Bumble. Will it make the app better?

Bumble, known for allowing women to message men first, unveiled new features that allow men to make the first move. Will the change breathe new life into online dating, and the company's stock?

Women no longer have to make the first move on Bumble. Will it make the app better?

Listen · 2:07
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Tuesday

Friday

Viral dating screenshots and the absurdity of 'And Just Like That'
Craig Blankenhorn/Max

It's Been a Minute

Viral dating screenshots and the absurdity of 'And Just Like That'

Screenshots of dating apps are making the rounds online and what feels like mundane exchanges are generating lots of ire and discourse. As these screenshots become more common in our feeds, how does it impact the search for love? And what happens when people use the apps to swipe for content? We talk to Rolling Stone culture reporter Miles Klee about modern dating expectations and if the apps have changed them.

Viral dating screenshots and the absurdity of 'And Just Like That'

Listen · 38:14
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Monday

Voters swipe right for Wisconsin's state Supreme Court election

Poll workers sort out early and absentee ballots at a municipal building in Kenosha, Wis., on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020. The April 4 election will determine majority control of the state Supreme Court. Wong Maye-E/AP hide caption

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Wong Maye-E/AP

Elections

Voters swipe right for Wisconsin's state Supreme Court election

WUWM

In an off-year, offseason election, it all comes down to turnout. That's why ahead of Wisconsin's April 4 state Supreme Court election, organizers are getting out the vote in some creative ways.

Voters swipe right for Wisconsin's state Supreme Court election

Listen · 4:00
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Monday

A man accused of torturing women is using dating apps to look for victims, police say

An undated photo provided by the Grants Pass Police Department shows Benjamin Obadiah Foster, who is wanted by authorities for attempted murder, kidnapping and assault. AP hide caption

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AP

National

A man accused of torturing women is using dating apps to look for victims, police say

Authorities are looking for Benjamin Obadiah Foster, who they accuse of kidnapping and assaulting a woman in Oregon — years after he was charged with holding his then-girlfriend captive in Las Vegas.

Saturday

'Mama's boy' is a flex, not an insult, for a new generation of men
Vystekimages/Getty Images/Photononstop RF

Culture

'Mama's boy' is a flex, not an insult, for a new generation of men

For eons, the term "mama's boy" was widely viewed as an emasculating insult. But numerous men are challenging such inherent misogyny and publicly embracing their identities as proud "mama's boys."

'Mama's boy' is a flex, not an insult, for a new generation of men

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Thursday

Dating over 50: It's OK to be nervous, but don't let that stop you
Jeannie Phan for NPR

Life Kit

Dating over 50: It's OK to be nervous, but don't let that stop you

Contemplating dating when you're 50 or older can feel daunting. But to find love, you usually have to date.

Dating over 50: It's OK to be nervous, but don't let that stop you

Listen · 21:46
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Tuesday

Friday

Bumble Blunder: Man Allegedly Boasts About Capitol Riot On Dating App, Is Arrested

In a court filing, federal prosecutors say suspect Robert Chapman told a Bumble user about his alleged involvement in the Capitol insurrection. Department of Justice hide caption

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Department of Justice

National

Bumble Blunder: Man Allegedly Boasts About Capitol Riot On Dating App, Is Arrested

Robert Chapman was promptly reported to authorities after reportedly boasting on Bumble about making it "all the way into Statuary Hall." He was arrested in New York on Thursday.

Tuesday

The Tinder-Bumble Feud: Dating Apps Fight Over Who Owns The Swipe

In dueling lawsuits, Match, which owns Tinder, alleges that Bumble infringed on Tinder's intellectual property — while Bumble says that argument is bogus. Cameron Pollack/NPR hide caption

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Cameron Pollack/NPR

Business

The Tinder-Bumble Feud: Dating Apps Fight Over Who Owns The Swipe

The companies are battling over whether Bumble swiped Tinder's features. Their dispute sheds new light on how the patent system is grappling with invention on the Internet.

The Tinder-Bumble Feud: Dating Apps Fight Over Who Owns The Swipe

Listen · 4:26
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Sunday

Can You Choose A Romantic Partner Just By Their Voice? A Dating App Thinks So

A young man records a voice note. A new dating app called Waving lets you swipe right on someone based only off short voice profiles. Getty Images hide caption

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Getty Images

Technology

Can You Choose A Romantic Partner Just By Their Voice? A Dating App Thinks So

Waving is a Tinder-like app that lets users judge potential partners by their voice. An evolutionary psychologist provides some tips on sounding attractive.

Can You Choose A Romantic Partner Just By Their Voice? A Dating App Thinks So

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Tuesday

When Dating Felt Like A Job, One Woman Hired A Matchmaker

Three Day Rule dating coach Alexa Geistman goes over a few dating pointers with her client Kat McClain before her first date with Kevin Biely. Jessica Pons for NPR hide caption

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Jessica Pons for NPR

What Makes Us Click

When Dating Felt Like A Job, One Woman Hired A Matchmaker

Kat McClain describes herself as a long-time dating app user, but it eventually felt like a grind. Frustrated by the process, she hired a matchmaker who helped vet dates and up her online dating game.

When Dating Felt Like A Job, One Woman Hired A Matchmaker

Listen · 7:04
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Tuesday

'Least Desirable'? How Racial Discrimination Plays Out In Online Dating

Ari Curtis, author of Least Desirable, a blog about dating as a black woman. Kholood Eid for NPR hide caption

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Kholood Eid for NPR

What Makes Us Click

'Least Desirable'? How Racial Discrimination Plays Out In Online Dating

Research shows that online dating coincided with an increase in interracial marriages. But some dating app users say that Asian men and black women can still have a tougher time finding love online.

'Least Desirable'? How Racial Discrimination Plays Out In Online Dating

Listen · 6:37
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