COURTLAND BROOKS - Jan 25 - Could demographic declines lead to Governments taking an interest in Internet dating. If so, what might that look like?
Populations in many developed countries are on the decline as fertility rates plummet, according to an article in Financial Times last week.
According to the UN "27 countries have fewer people now than in 2010 ...and it expects 55 countries, including China, to experience declines by 2050." Falling populations will become the norm. That's very bad for economic output and growth, which could also be bad for living standards.
So, what's a good Government to do?
Here's an interesting precedent. Several years ago the Government of Singapore took an interest in matchmaking and even went so far as to sponsor and host multiple conferences to gather the best minds in matchmaking. Their goal; to prime the pumps in the matchmaking industry in Singapore, to get more people meeting, marrying and making babies. The Government of Singapore even offered grants for fledgling matchmaking companies. Lunch Actually Group benefited from these initiatives, for one.
I see the UAE opening up to dating and matrimony services now, finally. Tinder is now openly available, and Matrimony just opened its first office in Dubai.
Secular government's have always been open to dating. Conservative countries, not so. Stigma still exists. Lowering fertility rates should force the issue for the more conservative countries to seek the means for their populations to connect more...with a view to steadying their falling fertility rates. So we should see more opening up.
However. governments around the world probably don't hold 'Internet dating' companies in especially high esteem but would be more likely to gravitate towards supporting 'online matchmaking' companies. i.e. The apps that vie towards the more meaningful end of the market.
I see a future for the likes of Matrimony to appeal to governments to open up and give them a clearer path to users, and even provide open sponsorship even. eHarmony/Parship/Muzmatch could also be well positioned for advances into more conservative countries? Might we see the day that a government ratifies and offers up a particular matchmaking or matrimony app as the gold standard? Is this conceive-able? Its at least an interesting notion. - Mark Brooks, Host - IDEA.gp, CEO - Courtland Brooks Agency/Consultancy
Posted by: |