Love, profit, sex and power - that is the world of dating apps. Love life is also becoming more and more digital and is changing our society. The providers want to make money above all else. And they succeed because they bind users to them with their design and constantly new features. Experts estimate that in Germany, the sales of various platforms will rise to 235 million euros by 2024. "For me, the apps are just a way to get to know someone and then get to know them properly offline. It's an entry ticket, but not the whole show," explains Anna Robberts, who is looking for true love in Paris. She has been using dating apps for a long time and, like many others, getting to know people digitally is part of her everyday life. But what does online dating do to us as a society? One in three people in Germany use dating platforms. Many are looking for a steady relationship, some for quick sex, others for friendships, and for people in the LGBTQ community, dating platforms offer the opportunity to get to know each other in a safe space. But do Tinder and Co. really want us to fall in love? Or are apps just manipulating us into "endless swiping"? The fact is: the providers make a lot of money from the search for love. Their vision: soon, people will also be dating in the digital metaverse. But experts like futurologist Tristan Horx warn: "So that can't be a substitute for reality yet. The big problem is that we are a bit more than just our auditory sense and our visual sense." In an episode of "Digital Empire", ZDF Zoom speaks to young women and men who use dating apps in very different ways and report on their experiences. Experts explain how the system works and the power structures behind it. It's about algorithms and money on the one hand - and the desire for the right partner on the other. But also about the big question of what impact the money machine online dating has on society and social interaction. "Digital Empire" is a new documentary series from ZDFzoom. The films look behind the scenes of our digital everyday life. Who is pulling the strings here? Who are the winners and losers of the epochal digitalization that is changing almost every area of ​​our lives? The series is based on very close personal encounters with protagonists and has a graphic narrative style. Link to the documentary in the media library: https://kurz.zdf.de/moY/ ----- Here on ZDFheute Nachrichten you can find out what is happening in the world and what concerns us all: We provide insight into the world of news, explain the background and address social debates. Discuss with us in live streams and form your own opinion with the facts that we present to you. Subscribe to our channel so you don't miss anything. You can always stay up to date at http://www.ZDFheute.de/. #ZDFzoom #Dating #Love