On today's episode, we discuss what "going back to the office" may actually mean, the dawn of “tiered-access journalism,” video safe havens for brands, possible surges in travel plans, Facebook's new video speed dating app called Sparked, why the Rubik's Cube was invented, and more. Tune in to listen to the discussion with eMarketer principal analysts Jillian Ryan and Jeremy Goldman, and analyst at Insider Intelligence Blake Droesch.

Dating apps are seeing an influx of new users as many continue to shelter in place. This year, we forecast there will be 26.6 million smartphone dating app users, according to our latest estimates. That’s an 18.4% increase from 2019.

Facebook Dating. In October, Facebook launched its dating service, Facebook Dating, in Europe. The service has been available in the US since September 2019. Marketer Takeaway: The dating app space is less crowded in Europe than it is in the US, which is likely what Facebook is banking on with the rollout.

We expect the number of people who own a smartphone and use dating apps to grow 5.3% this year, reaching roughly 25 billion. This figure is much flatter than our previous forecast of 9.8% growth, and just one-sixth of growth in 2016.

eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver, junior analyst Blake Droesch and vice president of content studio Paul Verna discuss if people are falling back in love with their TVs, if online video dating will work, why we can't (yet) trust the internet, brands building goodwill during the pandemic, the un-college movement, what the average person looks like and more.

Facebook Dating launched in the US last week, giving users ages 18 and older access to typical dating app features like specialized profiles and matchmaking algorithms. Though the dating app space is crowded, Facebook has an opportunity to set itself apart by simplifying what's arguably the most vexing aspect of online dating: setting up a profile.

eMarketer junior forecasting analyst Nazmul Islam shares our usage numbers for US smartphone dating apps and doesn't dance around the reasons for a slowdown in growth. Watch now.

eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver and vice president of research Jennifer Pearson discuss the wonderful world of online dating. Who's on which platforms? What do people like and dislike about it? They then talk about Valentine's Day spending, "OK Boomer" age discrimination and the link between smartphones and mental health.

In this Valentine's Day edition of "Behind the Numbers," we're digging into the data of love: How do people shop and spend on Valentine's Day gifts? How has the internet affected dating? And what are the risks of trying to find romance online?

eMarketer principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson discusses Facebook's latest F8 announcements, including the redesign, Instagram shopping features and upcoming Facebook Dating service.

eMarketer principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson and junior analyst Blake Droesch discuss TikTok's US image, whether competitors can copy it out of business and how in-app buying will affect the platform. Then they talk about the ANA Influencer Marketing Conference, why Facebook is introducing Stories to its dating service and whether Americans will miss seeing Instagram likes when they go away.

eMarketer principal analyst Nicole Perrin explains how consumers feel about ads why they feel that way: What ads do they least like? Which ones are they most receptive to? How should advertisers respond? Then, principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson talks about the US launch of Facebook’s dating service, how young people feel about ‘likes’ and the impact of the social platform’s latest data breach.

In fact, it was the first time in our forecast, dating back to 2016, that the Cyber Five period saw a decrease in its overall share of holiday season ecommerce sales. “We saw a shift away from Cyber Week,” Salesforce’s Grant said. “It accounted for less of digital spend in 2020 than it did in 2019. The two weeks before took the most share.”.

By comparison, digital audio will gain just 2 minutes—well below its pre-pandemic trajectory—and the “other” category, which includes maps, dating, weather, news, shopping and ride-sharing apps, will lose 2 minutes. What lasting impacts will the pandemic have on mobile usage?