KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 3 — She’s an icon of climate change, and now Greta Thunberg is also playing a role in pairing people together through a dating app.
OkCupid, one of the most popular dating app in the world reported an 800 per cent increase of profiles with mentions of Thunberg — considered a vital virtue in dating preferences.
OkCupid's chief marketing officer Melissa Hobley said with climate change being one of the issues more are talking about, users are “showing this issue matters to them when it comes to their potential partner.
“They’re talking about Greta on their profiles ... I think people feel that supporting her or not shows how you feel about the issue and its impact,” she told American website The Hill.
The 16-year-old Swede has been campaigning for action on rising climate change issues and has shaken the global stage with her speech at the United Nation in September last year.
Thunberg, who was also named Time Magazine 2019’s “Person of the Year” appears to have had a profound impact, with the app witnessing a rise in interest with 240 per cent increase in the mention of climate change and environmental terms on OkCupid profiles over the past two years.
“Climate change is interesting because that’s an issue that’s starting to matter almost everywhere in the world, especially with younger daters.
“I just think that’s an awesome trend. Certainly, there’s a little bit of criticism for creating an (opinion) bubble — but we see a trend that is very much about, ‘Hey, I’m attracted to what you believe in and what you get behind and what you’re into.’"
Boley added, “Climate change and your feelings about that show up in your life in so many ways.
"Climate change and how you feel about that can really help for compatibility.”
Of OkCupid users who responded to a question on what is most important to them between multiple issues like the economy, world peace and eradicating disease, 51 per cent favoured climate change, a 138 per cent increase since 2009.
