The Next Era of Social Discovery Platforms and Dating Apps: The Metaverse

The Next Era of Social Discovery Platforms and Dating Apps: The Metaverse
Written by: Dani Dufresne

Last month, Bumble’s Founder and CEO, Whitney Wolfe Herd, broke the news to shareholders on a quarterly earnings call that the friend-finding function, Bumble BFF, is expanding into the Metaverse.

What is “the Metaverse”?
The anticipated future of the internet: extended reality (XR), a 3D virtual world that is persistent, synchronous, and interoperable. The Metaverse is a never-ending extension and digital parallel of our physical world. It can be comprised of a combination of technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), avatars, and a digital economy that uses non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Herd stated,

“Bumble BFF gives us a platform for Bumble to become a leader in the Web 3.0 world. […] Longer-term, it becomes a way for members to own their experience on Bumble. This could happen through the communities they build, the virtual goods and experiences they acquire, or through new ways of owning their identity as they navigate the metaverse.”
 
The company’s President, Tariq Shaukat elaborated on Bumble’s ambitions to venture into the Metaverse and predicts that cryptocurrency will be incorporated into future iterations of dating apps. 
 
Rival dating app, Tinder, shared similar plans to build a Metaverse.
 
The company is currently testing crypto tokens (tinder coins) in multiple regions. Tinder has initiated beta-testing on a concept called Singletown on select college campuses in Seoul. Through this platform, one’s digital self, in the form of a real-time, audio-powered avatar, can engage in one-on-one or group conversations in virtual spaces.
 
Dating-focused Metaverse: a promising new medium to connect people in a global pandemic and revolutionize the dating landscape OR a platform that will create further isolation and less human interaction? 
 
Dani is a member of the BLG Business Venture Clinic and is a 3rd year student at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law.
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