Online dating is dominated by services such as Tinder and Bumble, but Facebook has spotted a gap in the market and is experimenting with speed dating using video.
As The Verge reports, the speed dating app is called Sparked, and it's focused on allowing two people to meet using a video date that lasts just four minutes. If you like each other, a follow-up 10-minute second date can be scheduled. If you're still enjoying each other's company after 14 minutes of video conversation, Sparked moves on to recommending the exchange of account details for further contact through Instagram, iMessage, and emails.
Signing up to Sparked requires a Facebook account as you'd expect, but currently there's a waiting list. Even getting on to the waiting list could prove challenging as my attempted visits to the Sparked website resulted in a blank page loading. And as this is an experiment, it may disappear as quickly as that one person you liked on Sparked who clearly didn't feel the same way.
Facebook already has its hand in the dating game through Facebook Dating, but using the more traditional approach of creating profiles and letting people see a load of information about other people before deciding to make contact. It actually works pretty well, where as Sparked seems to be a much more rapid approach to finding love online. It also relies completely on video, which is a feature Facebook Dating doesn't even have.
One massive hurdle Facebook will need to overcome if Sparked is to be a success is trust, or a lack of it. The recent revelation that 533 million Facebook users have had their personal details posted online didn't seem to bother the social network. The company declined to take responsibility or apologize for the breach, instead placing the blame on pre-2019 policies that enabled the behavior.