Lexicon
Modular entries on mechanics, incentives, algorithms, and asymmetries.
- 01
Overview
What is a dating app, economically? Market size, user base, activation rates, and the rough frame for everything that follows.
5 min · market · intro
- 02
Asymmetries
Gendered swipe rates, match distribution, the Pareto effect, the Lorenz curve — the fundamental divergence from which nearly everything else follows.
7 min · behavior · gender · distribution
- 03
Attention economy
Top-10 % concentration, signal loss from mass swiping, cognitive overload, and the feedback loop between the two sides of the market.
6 min · behavior · economy
- 04
Communication & ghosting
Initiation rates, first-message effort, response times, ghosting by age — what happens after the match.
6 min · communication · ghosting
- 05
KPIs explained
PVS, SMR, MRR, MDC, dwell time — definitions, formulas, gender-specific benchmarks. The basis for the analyzer.
8 min · kpi · benchmarks
- 06
Algorithmic mechanics
From ELO to dynamic engagement; Gale-Shapley, collaborative filtering, reciprocal recommenders — how apps decide who sees whom.
8 min · algorithms · ml
- 07
Monetization & incentives
Why the "search problem" is more lucrative than the "stable marriage problem"; paywalls, artificial scarcity, surveillance pricing, duopoly.
7 min · economy · monetization
- 08
Algorithmic bias
Racial bias, popularity bias, socio-economic effects — discrimination through machine learning.
6 min · bias · fairness · ml
- 09
Safety & trust
Romance scams, harassment, platform migration to niches — the trust crisis of mainstream dating.
6 min · safety · crime
- 10
LGBTQIA+ & non-binary reality
Structural exclusion, label fatigue, fetishization, the shelter paradox — the platform as ambivalent space.
6 min · lgbtqia · queer · safety
- 11
Glossary
Alphabetical index of terms with cross-references to the main articles.
4 min · reference · glossary