Global emails sent per day

As global email volume has grown, online dating revenue has grown, a correlation of 0.987 that is almost too direct to qualify as spurious: both metrics are measuring the expansion of digital communication, one in general and one in the specific pursuit of romance. The inbox fills, the profile updates, and both activities require the same infrastructure, the same screen, and the same willingness to interact with strangers through text. The email and the match notification use the same server.

Global emails grew from about 250 billion per day in 2015 to over 350 billion by 2022. Online dating revenue grew from about 3 billion to over 5 billion. Both track the expansion of internet communication. Dating apps literally send emails (match notifications, promotional messages), making this correlation partly a part-whole relationship. The shared infrastructure is real: more people online means more emails and more dating profiles.

Eight years of emails and dating is a correlation that borders on tautological: dating apps are email-dependent businesses, and their growth contributes to global email volume. The message is sent, the match is made, and the chart draws a line between the general (all emails) and the specific (please go on a date with me). The inbox is full. The heart is hopeful. The correlation is obvious.