# Online Dating Online dating covers the web services and mobile apps people use to find romantic partners, starting with Match.com in 1993 and expanding through OKCupid, Grindr, and Tinder. The category fed a decade of internet humor, spawning image macros like Dating Site Murderer and callout blogs like Fedoras of OKCupid and Bye Felipe. ## Origin The first internet dating site, Match.com, was founded in 1993 by entrepreneurs Gary Kremen and Peng T. Ong as a proof-of-concept for electronic classified advertising systems[2]. It launched publicly as a free beta in 1995, letting users build profiles with photos and personal information for matchmaking. That template of profile picture plus written self-description set the visual language that later meme formats would take aim at. - **Platform:** Match.com (origin); Reddit / Tumblr / Instagram (meme spread) - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 1993 ## Overview Beyond the apps themselves, online dating fed a steady output of internet humor through the 2010s. Screenshots of bad opening messages, cringe profile photos, and hostile responses to rejection turned into recurring content on Tumblr, Reddit, and Instagram, with formats ranging from advice-animal image macros to whole archive blogs dedicated to specific dating-app subcultures[2]. The tone was usually mockery, letting a screenshot of bad behavior, a weird fetish, or a fedora-in-profile-pic speak for itself. Urban Dictionary entries from the era show the split public read, with some users defending internet love as legitimate and others framing it as a fake teen playdating that ends in cybersex and heartbreak[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Online Dating? Online dating is the use of web services or mobile apps to find and message potential romantic partners, usually with the goal of meeting in real life[2]. ### Where did Online Dating come from? Gary Kremen and Peng T. Ong founded Match.com in 1993 as the first internet dating site, launching it as a free beta in 1995[2]. ### What does Online Dating mean? It means algorithm-assisted matchmaking through a profile of photos and personal details, paired on criteria like age, location, and interests, and public opinion on it is still split between believers and skeptics[1]. ### How do you use Online Dating? You create a profile with photos and personal information on a site like OKCupid or an app like Tinder, then browse or get matched based on your stated preferences[2]. ### Is Online Dating still popular? Tinder and other mobile apps launched from 2009 onward kept the space active worldwide, though the meme output mocking dating profiles peaked with 2010s blogs like Fedoras of OKCupid and Bye Felipe[1]. ## References 1. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Online%20Dating]() 2. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/online-dating]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/online-dating Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library