Thread

1. water-data-dude · 1790912155 · focus · HN ↗

   You know, there's probably fewer perverse incentives with a government run dating service. Obviously I can imagine ways it could suck, but when I compare them to how commercial dating services are run it's hard to see how they could do a _worse_ job.

   1. pcthrowaway · 1790922092 · focus · HN ↗

      If people are oriented towards traditional relationships, then pairing people up younger probably leads to higher overall fertility rate in the population, so I could see governments with existentially declining fertility rates (read: almost all of them) taking an interest in actually providing a successful service here (unlike the commercial dating apps).

      Of course, a lack of a match is not the only thing that prevents people from having kids, but I'm curious what the impact of an optimal matching service would be on fertility rates.

      edit: I think governments might do well to provide funding for dating apps (whether privately or publicly owned) based on how many matches from the app actually lead to children. Completely flip the classical incentives on their head. Should be easy enough to ask if newborns were a product of a participating app as part of the birth certification process.

      1. phreeza · 1790922733 · focus · HN ↗

         Nice idea in principle but (in the case of private) too long a time horizon for typical corporations to care about, sadly.

         1. ant6n · 1790923426 · focus · HN ↗

            Dating Apps don’t need to be corporate. You could make an app for a whole country with a company of less than 10 people.

            1. zurfer · 1790926502 · focus · HN ↗

               If there was no fraud and abuse and legal issues and ...

               1. hypfer · 1790926924 · focus · HN ↗

                  No, even with that. 10 people are a lot, actually.

                  1. intended · 1790932775 · focus · HN ↗

                     From people who deal with the trust and safety side of things, at a national scale of a few billion people, 10 people is definitely not enough.

                     What size of population are you considering for this hypothetical nation?

                     1. hypfer · 1790932906 · focus · HN ↗

                        Which problems do you see that would require all of this, given that it is a nation platform where you are authenticated via your government ID?

                        And which nations are scaled to a few billion people?

                        And they all date? Every single one of them? The married couples? The children and the elderly?

                        1. intended · 1790948769 · focus · HN ↗

                           Every platform. Just being authenticated by government ID doesn’t change the issue. You still have fraud and inauthentic behavior.

                           India is a billion plus people. Google says that the dating app user base is 100mn, which is much lower than the total number of people who would use a government match making app.

                           That’s why the question regarding scale. That assumption makes a 10 person firm for a nation viable or impossible.

                           1. hypfer · 1790956051 · focus · HN ↗

                              This conversation was not about "every platform" though.

                              1. intended · 1790966606 · focus · HN ↗

                                 OK, sure. The dating platform that the Singapore govt has built.

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