I was trying to explain federated websites to a friend and she asked if there is a federated dating app. She recently went through a break up and the apps are dreadful as I’m sure many of you know.
It’d be hard to launch a dating system on the fediverse because it the type of service that relies heavily on network effects. People want to be on the dating app with the most people. However, I think there is an opportunity because the mainstream apps are so notoriously awful, monetized, and enshitified.
It could be a community within an existing network or it could be its own website. I don’t know, I’m just putting the idea out there.
Not everything needs to happen in the Fediverse. E.g, you can have the messaging part delegated to email, xmpp, matrix… Then you add a system where the other party needs to send a “request for contact info” separate from the public profile.
Indeed. A lot of places that offer encrypted messaging are just built on things like XMPP without most people realising. WhatsApp is, I believe.