Strategic Foresight and Systems Thinking
Future of Online Dating
In the context of an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving online dating landscape, this project set out to explore the broader implications of digital romance through a multi-lens, systems-oriented approach.
As digital platforms continue to reshape the way people initiate and maintain romantic relationships, the team aimed to uncover the interconnected dynamics shaping both the current realities and future trajectories of digital intimacy.
The project used systems thinking as a foundational methodology, enabling the team to map out complex relationships between individuals, platforms, institutions, and societal trends.
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A Glimpse of the Process
Using tools from strategic foresight and systems thinking, the team developed an intervention strategy for online dating companies to implement for future iterations.
Grayce, along with her teammates, developed a synthesis map as a communicative artifact—bringing together diverse knowledge perspectives to better understand and illustrate the dynamics of this multifaceted social system. The research process included:
Literature Review and Media Scan to trace historical shifts in romantic norms and analyze how digital platforms have disrupted or reinforced patterns of courtship, communication, and commitment.
Trend Analysis to identify emerging patterns related to digital intimacy, ghosting culture, app fatigue, and the commodification of affection.
Platform ethnography involving immersive observation and user journey mapping across major and niche dating platforms.
Systems Mapping to visually map out the relationships between dating apps, user behaviours, and social norms.
Power and policy analysis to examine how dating platforms govern user behaviour, data privacy, content moderation, and inclusivity.
Futures thinking and scenario building exercises to imagine multiple trajectories for digital romance, considering the influence of AI, virtual reality, platform consolidation, and shifting social values.
