Love in the Age of Crypto: Will Owning Crypto Make Daters More Popular?
Original source: Cointelegraph
Original source: Cointelegraph
Original compilation: 0x4868, TechFlow
Adding "cryptocurrency" to your dating profile can make you more popular, but the cryptocurrency community has voiced concerns about online dating, new findings suggest.
Cryptocurrencies have become one of the most widely discussed topics in 2022. So it should come as no surprise that the mention of "cryptocurrency" in an online dating profile might draw additional attention.
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Cryptocurrencies: What's Love Got To Do With It?
Callie Cox, eToro’s U.S. investment analyst, told Cointelegraph that the results of eToro’s first-ever “Cryptocurrency and Culture” survey point to the intersection between money, culture, and identity. “We talked a lot in the survey about identity and how that holds a lot of weight in the crypto community. The genesis of this campaign was to get a better understanding of how people think about the big things in life and how to find the perfect mate, said Cox.
With this in mind, Cox explained that one of the most notable findings from the report is that 33 percent of respondents would be willing to date someone who mentions cryptocurrency in their profile. "This shows that there is a link between money, love and approval when people are looking for a partner on a dating app," she said, adding that Cox also interestingly found that nearly 74% of respondents indicated that they were likely to be with A guy who pays his bills on a first date in Bitcoin (BTC) goes on a second date. “We also wanted to test the environment and see how people felt about using cryptocurrencies. We were surprised to see that this was so high, which also speaks to a problem of acceptance.”
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The Cryptocurrency Community and Online Dating
While eToro's survey suggests that crypto-speak may make daters more popular, some members of the crypto community have found mentioning the trait to be a double-edged sword.
For example, Hailey Lennon, legal partner at Anderson Kill and founder of Crypto Connect, told Cointelegraph that she initially didn’t write “bitcoin” anywhere on her online dating profile, but she eventually added it because of the Digital assets are her long-time hobby. While Lennon didn’t notice an increase in responses to her profile due to the addition of Bitcoin, she already had a few matches that piqued her interest due to the commonality:
“There is one thing in common among people who are interested in Bitcoin. For example, if I post a photo of a hat wearing Bitcoin, it will likely attract other people who are interested in this field. I have also joked before Say, I found my soul mate when I found out someone mentioned 'bitcoin' in their dating profile. However, it does show that we have common interests and we can connect and talk about shared passions. "
However, Lennon also pointed out that including cryptocurrency terms in your online dating profile could backfire. “Sometimes I rephrase and say I’m a fintech lawyer without mentioning bitcoin or cryptocurrencies so as not to make the whole conversation around bitcoin and my profession. There are still some people who still confuse cryptocurrency with this False narratives have been linked that it’s only used for criminal activity and money laundering, so it’s interesting to try to explain how you get to be a lawyer in the digital asset space,” Lennon said.
Additionally, while Lennon found eToro's findings interesting, she noted that many in the crypto community are very focused on digital assets in their day-to-day lives and may want to have non-crypto-focused conversations in a romantic setting. “Sometimes when people find out what you do for a job, dating turns into a conversation that just consists of bitcoin and how it works. It gets a little trite and takes the romance/fun out of dating.”
Echoing this, Ivan Perez, owner of Multiplied — a crypto-focused PR firm — told Cointelegraph that since adding “investing and working in crypto” to his online dating profile, he’s been dating the same crypto community. Women working in the currency field were contacted three times. While Perez mentioned that this commonality could be an added advantage, he shared that every date he has had with someone in the cryptocurrency space has felt more like work than fun. "All we're doing is talking about cryptocurrencies," Perez said.
Perez further explained that using "cryptocurrency" on his online dating profile sometimes draws the wrong attention:
"Some girls will like my profile and start off by saying 'you work in crypto, that's cool'. Then, when we go on a date, the first 10-20 minutes are usually focused on how crypto works and what I do .There are women who only focus on the money aspect. I’ve had multiple experiences where I’ve gone on dates and crypto has been the subject of the entire conversation.”
In turn, Perez explained, working in the cryptocurrency space can make dating frustrating. “Now that NFTs are getting more mainstream attention, I’ve met women who go out on a date to troll crypto billionaires. It’s frustrating because it makes you paranoid. These women don’t care about me or what I’m doing. Is the industry interested?" Perez wondered.
From a women's perspective, adding cryptocurrency to their online dating profiles can also present challenges. Jessica Salama, community lead at the GoodDollar Foundation — a non-profit initiative focused on digital asset financial education — told Cointelegraph that while she thinks adding cryptocurrencies to her profile increases her appeal, Not necessarily for the right reasons:
“Yes, I got more matches, but with that comes 'male preachers'. Working in Web3 – still very much a male world – is challenging. Dodging men at work and on Tinder at the same time Preaching is tiring."
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NFT: Personalized Love in the Digital Age
Beyond cryptocurrencies and dating, eToro’s research also found that 8% of respondents are interested in receiving an NFT as a Valentine’s Day gift this year. According to Cox, this statistic is not surprising given the rise of the NFT market. However, Cox noted that this finding is interesting because it shows that millennials and Gen Z value identity-themed products. “Younger generations want to own something in real life or in the Metaverse that shows who they are — and NFTs represent that.”
As such, there are a number of identification-themed Valentine's Day NFTs on offer this year. For example, jewelry designer MYKA has created a limited-edition NFT collection consisting of digital paintings of three of their best-selling jewelry pieces.
Ronnie Elgavish, vice president of global marketing at MYKA, told Cointelegraph that he believes more couples will be gifting NFTs this Valentine’s Day due to the rise of the Metaverse and the desire for digital identities.
Ivan Sokolov, founder of Mintmade — a platform that provides programmable templates for NFTs — agreed with Elgavish. He told Cointelegraph that he thinks more couples will send tokenized Valentine’s cards this year.
Mintmade allows users to mint a custom pair of NFTs with their and their partner’s names on them, Sokolov said. “These NFTs are user-generated, meaning it was created by the buyer. The buyer simply enters two names on the platform and the NFT with those names can be minted,” Sokolov explained.
In addition to NFT Valentine's Day gifts, eToro's research found that nearly 20% of singles are more interested in dating if someone uses an NFT as a profile picture on a social platform or dating site. "So if your NFT gift doesn't pan out, you can always use it to find a new date for March,"first level title
Cryptocurrencies may be sexy, but security concerns remain
While eToro's findings suggest that cryptocurrency terms and features may make online dating profiles more attractive, security is an important factor that must also be considered when publicly mentioning cryptocurrencies. As the industry goes mainstream, keeping users' cryptocurrencies safe has become a major concern.
To illustrate, a recent report by blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis found that the intersection between cryptocurrencies and crime will grow into a $14 billion industry by 2021. Justin Maile, investigations manager at Chainalysis, told Cointelegraph that it’s best not to flaunt your cryptocurrency holdings — especially investments or any holdings — on your dating profile to avoid making yourself a target. Maile added that the scam isn't limited to dating apps. "Meta (Facebook), Instagram, LinkedIn, Quora, Discord, WeChat and others are all platforms used by scammers to find victims," he said.
Maile further noted that while he thinks it is okay to publicly mention interest in cryptocurrencies, no further details should be revealed. “Similar to how you wouldn’t publicly share that you have a savings account and how much money is in it, it’s safest not to publicly share that you own cryptocurrency to avoid making yourself a target.”
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