Miami is the city of the selfie. Our art-flushed eyes are used to a certain amount of visual stimulation -- at least that's what we'd like people to believe. Truthfully, we must just really like looking at and talking about ourselves.
Self-obsessed as this city may be, everybody gets bored at some point swiping through photos. Hinge, the "anti-Tinder," as it calls itself, has arrived to add a little more substance to your dating search. Launching in Miami, Tampa, and Orlando today, the social discovery app helps users meet new people through friends.
Hinge is a social network that helps you meet new people through friends. The app has raised more than $8.6 million and made more than 6 million friend-of-friend matches in cities such as Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas, and L.A.
Even happier news: In conjunction with the launch, Hinge has published a market research study on the perception of what it is like to date in each of these cities.
See also: Miami Breaks the Guinness World Record of Most Selfies Taken in One Hour
After selecting which city they live in, about 3,000 single young professionals in Florida were asked where do the most datable/eligible people live in Miami? Possible choices were Miami Beach, Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, downtown, Wynwood/Edgewater, Little Havana, Overtown, Coral Gables, South Beach, and Coconut Grove. Participants were also asked about the accuracy of common stereotypes and how they would prefer to meet someone new in the city.
Hinge did not define "eligibility" for the survey. The results, we can say, are disappointing:
Most eligible people live in:
- Downtown (Brickell)
- Miami Beach
- South Beach
Least eligible people live in:
- Overtown
- Little Havana
- Palmetto Bay
Most accurate stereotypes:
- You have to be bikini-body ready (most true)
- It helps if you're bilingual
- There's a good chance you're going clubbing
Somewhat true stereotypes:
- All the women are (cough) enhanced
- What car you drive is the most important thing
- A date might involve people-watching and making fun of tourists
Least accurate stereotypes:
- Everyone is sports obsessed
- All of the men are one beer away from a bar brawl
- Everyone is an artist
- You eat meat?! Everyone is a vegetarian (least true)
How singles in Miami prefer to meet:
- 1. Through friends naturally, like at a party (91 percent)
- 2. Getting set up through friends
- 3. Out at a bar or restaurant
- 4. While doing something active/outdoors, like at the beach
We can only guess what factors deem people eligible or not (OK, it's clearly money for the most part). So, according to these results, to date successfully in Miami you need to hit the following marks: have a bikini bod, drive a nice car, speak two languages, go to clubs, and live in Brickell or Miami Beach. Guess the average working single person in Miami is doomed to roam the beaches alone, dreaming of the day when our savings are large enough to get those "enhancements."
With these dating hurdles, will Miami take to Hinge's personable premise? Officials seem to think so.
"More people have signed up to be notified about Hinge coming to Florida than in any other market," stated Karen Fein, Hinge's director of marketing. "Further, after surveying Floridians to better understand the dating scene, we learned that 93 percent of them would prefer to meet someone new through friends. That's what Hinge is all about."
Another recent Hinge study shows that the average person has met only 3 percent of their friends' friends. Hinge users receive up to 20 potential connections daily, gathered from your extended social network -- like friends of friends on Facebook. No more "randos." The app allows the reviewing of authentic details about each person: You can review Facebook-validated profiles and details that matter, like friends in common, interests, and religion. Last, Hinge wants to provide an "offline focus" to online dating.
"We want you to actually meet up in real life, and that goal pervades every part of the app experience," Fein told New Times. "For example, we show how you're socially connected to each match, which establishes trust. Further, we only show you a handful of potential matches each day and surface details like where they work and went to school. The result is more serious consideration of each person, versus a superficial, hot-or-not swiping game."
Hinge is available for free on iTunes and Google Play.
Follow Shelly Davidov on Twitter @ShellyDavidov.
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