Meta Shuts Down Facebook’s Sparked Video Speed Dating Service

Back in 2019, Facebook decided to try and get into the online dating market. They then decided to expand on their offerings in 2021 with a new video speed dating service called Sparked. Unfortunately, it appears to have been a short-lived experiment because Meta has announced that they will be shutting the service down.

To be fair, Sparked was never really a full-fledged Facebook product, but rather the result of the company’s New Product Experimentation division, which as the name suggests is all about testing out new product ideas before deciding if it’s something that they should pursue.

For those who are hearing about Sparked for the first time, it’s basically where the company would host pre-planned events amongst locals in an area, where users who participate will be able to go on virtual speed dates via video. Given the pandemic and where it’s harder to meet new people, it seemed like a good idea.

However, it appears that the platform never really took off which has since led to its closure. In the email that the company has sent to users, it reads, “We started building Sparked in late 2020 to help people find love through an experience rooted in kindness. Since then, thanks to regular input and feedback from you, we improved where we could, learned a ton, and made connections between people. Like many good ideas, some take off and others, like Sparked, must come to an end.”

Tyler Lee
Categories: General
Tags: Facebook, meta