That was before smartphones were used as weapons of mass chaos lol. With as jaded as the average OLD user is these days, the lifecycle might be shortened further.
Yes, it took Match 15-17 years to move through the 5 phases because it was launched well before the smartphone. Tinder, Bumble, Hinge all moved to Phase 4-5 within 5-7 years.
Right now, tech-based dating is ripe for disruption.
Tinder was invented while Match, PlentyofFish and OkCupid were around late Phase 3 or early Phase 4.
Let's look at where every major app or website is right now.
Match: Phase 5
OkCupid: Phase 5
PlentyofFish: Phase 5
Coffee Meets Bagel: Phase 5, though that was always a bit nichey
Tinder: Phase 5
Bumble: Phase 4
Hinge: Phase 4
Instagram might still be in the later stages of Phase 3, but you could make a case Instagram is entering Phase 4.
Facebook as a whole would be in Phase 5. In the early days of Facebook, you could DM a chick and get a date. Same with MySpace. When I just got out of college in 2005 and moved to a new city, I got some dates on MySpace through random messaging.
For example I'm really conservative. I joined a couple of those conservative dating sites. Not many women close to me and most of the girls on those right wing apps were fat and ugly.
For example I like bass fishing and guns. Many of the women into that are white trashy looking and fat.
Why is it hard to find women who love guns and bass fishing? They like that travel BS.
Most single women aren't conservative. Never married, childless women between 25-40 are typically liberal and mostly in larger metros in the US.
Most conservative women are married or 50+ widows/divorcees.
Liberal women are into travel to look good on Instagram. Maybe older liberal women do it to look good on Facebook.
Bass fishing isn't a female friendly hobby. I don't know too many attractive women into guns either.