Not a Match: Study Shows Online Dating and Personal Phone Numbers Are No Longer Compatible
Raleigh, North Carolina (PRWEB) February 11, 2015 -- Since the invention of the telephone, exchanging phone numbers has been an essential first step to create long-lasting personal connections.
But a new study released today from Bandwidth, one of the nation’s leading communications companies, shows that “Call me maybe?” has turned into “probably not” – as the rise of online dating has led to a new reluctance to exchange personal phone numbers. The study found that over 85 percent of online daters rarely – if ever – give out their personal phone number to potential love interests.
Daters were primarily reluctant due to concerns about their privacy and security.
• Nearly all respondents – 97 percent – said that personal safety in online dating was very important.
• 84 percent of respondents would feel safer using online dating services if they weren’t required to share their personal phone number.
• 58 percent of respondents regretted giving out their personal phone number to someone on an online dating site.
The study also found that while online daters do not want to provide personal phone numbers, they still believe that the phone is an essential tool in building a relationship. Seventy-eight percent of respondents felt that they could create a stronger personal connection over the phone, rather than email.
Share the Love, Not Your Number
In response, the communications industry is developing new features to help popular online businesses provide voice and messaging while protecting the privacy of their users. One of these features is anonymous calling, which allows users or businesses to share a separate, private number that’s routed to their personal line.
Popularized by applications such as Burner, anonymous calling features are also useful in posting phone numbers on social networks, classified ads or e-commerce listings, including the ability to offer two-factor authentication.
“As our level of online interactions increases, we are becoming more protective of our personal phone number,” said David Morken, CEO of Bandwidth. “Our phone number is an extension of our personal privacy, so it should be everyone’s right to protect that number accordingly. By distancing our personal phone number with the number we share online, we will have the full benefits of online interaction, combined with the privacy features that make people comfortable.”
For more information on Bandwidth’s private calling features, visit http://bandwidth.com/business/resources/documentation/anonymous-calling-overview.
For more information on the study, please visit: http://go.bandwidth.com/2015_Online-Dating-Infographic.html.
About Bandwidth
Bandwidth is among the nation's largest and fastest-growing communication technology companies. The company operates two divisions – business solutions and consumer (Republic Wireless) that share a mission of transforming the communications industry. Across the divisions, Bandwidth provides a full range of communications services, including voice origination, termination and toll free; a full suite of 9-1-1 services; SMS solutions; SIP Trunking; hosted VoIP for SMBs; and a consumer wireless business. Founded in 1999, and a certified CLEC in 49 states, Bandwidth is a profitable company headquartered in Raleigh, NC with a large remote office in Denver, CO and field offices in eight other cities.
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Marki Conway, PAN Communications, +1 6175024356, [email protected]
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