PITCH: Whether dating apps are a benefit or a disaster, how much do you know?

Topic

The widespread of the Internet has made our lives faster and more convenient. To satisfy emotional needs, even “fast-food” love has emerged. Dating apps, such as Tinder, have changed the way we date (Junkee). By the mode of online matching, dating apps can help people narrow down people who do not match their interests and age, and thus know people outside of their everyday social circle. But at the same time, the social issue of rape, violence, stalking, intimidation, and threats against women who meet their partners through dating apps is increasingly in the spotlight. There are proposals that dating apps should block predators from using dating apps to protect more Australians from meeting partners online (Sydney Morning Herald).

This article will focus on the ways in which dating software can help users explore open relationships and diverse dating cultures, to discuss how dating software can meet people’s intrinsic emotional needs. At the same time, it will also explore the ways in which dating apps involve potentially-dangerous intimate relationships, such as control and violence against partners in the name of love. Finally, the article will provide the perspective of the expert to advise how to reduce the security risks of dating apps themselves and how to identify ‘dangerous’ partners, both of which will help users to use dating apps properly.

Genre & Angle

The article will take the form of feature story, with interviews with two main interviewees, from the perspective of their real personal experiences, to provide reference values for users.

Publication & Target user group

Cosmopolitan is the ideal publication for this feature story, which is a digital platform that focuses on pop culture, sex, politics, and more (Cosmopolitan). Cosmopolitan is aimed at young women, which is also the age when women desire intimacy. This feature will therefore provide women with knowledge and advice on health, gender relationships, and more, in order to minimise harm and even more serious social crises.

My target audience is therefore adult female readers of Cosmopolitan, who tend to be concerned about personal, pop culture, relationships, and the physical and mental health of their families. According to the survey by Australian Institute of Criminology Data, nearly 3 out of 4 dating app users have experienced technology-enabled sexual abuse. This feature news story is designed to give them the warning to avoid becoming potential victims, from the perspective they are interested in.

Source of information 

1. Real personal experiences, may be suspected of defamation, so interviewees speak in the way of anonymity.
2. Statistics on scientifically-proven cases that dating apps allegedly endanger women. 
3. Proposals from government and non-profit organisations to improve dating software programs.
4. Characteristics of potentially dangerous partners and toxic relationships and how to save yourself from a toxic relationship, published by experts.
5. The knowledge provided by Australia on where people can get help after a dangerous situation, and guidelines for physical and mental health

Multimedia, Hypertext & Interactivity

1. Visual media, such as engaging images and audio with two interviewees, complement and enhance the details and impacts of reporting on dating apps.
2. A map showing the distribution of users of dating apps in Australia, which may include demographic data such as gender and age.
3. Hyperlinks to sources for readers who wish to explore the topic in further depth.
4. A polling to investigate whether this article is informative and helpful to users and a discussion board at the end of the article for users to communicate with each other.