Game Theoretical Approach to Dating Applications

Essay from the year 2016 in the subject Communications - Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing, Social Media, grade: 1,0, The University of Hong Kong, language: English, abstract: The on-going process of technological innovation and expansion combined with a more and more fast-paced, dynamic and global world result in a slow take over of computers and artificial intelligence in fundamental human task areas. One example of how technological progress invades into our daily life is the invention of dating applications that enhance the search for a possible relationship partner by providing a distinct platform for people with similar purposes. Since the interaction on these platforms are simultaneous actions of a group of human beings that yield a specific result - getting to know possible partners - the situation can be analysed from a game theoretic perspective. During this paper I will firstly elaborate on the underlying assumptions of my model. Afterwards I am developing a formal framework that allows to explore the phenomenon from a rather objective and rational perspective. The quintessence of this setup is that the problem at hand can be identified as a repeated collective prisoners’ dilemma or an example of the tragedy of commons. In a final step I will provide several possible solutions to improve the efficiency of the analysed market / social interactions. Two of these approaches are very game theoretical, while I also included two more market-oriented approaches to provide a multidimensional perspective on the issue.