- More Liberal Lifestyle
Australians have become less and less religious. And while religion-based niche dating sites and chat rooms exist, religion provided a kind of barrier from unconventional ideas including online dating. From 1976 to 2011, the number of religious young adults has reduced by over half. About 26% of all young adults in 2011 claimed to have no religion, a rise from 12% in 1976. Although the reduction is across the entire population, it is more pronounced among young people.
Current Status and User Trends
A 2012 study by the University of Stanford revealed that the strength and quality of relationships initiated online were at par with results from conventional matchmaking. Although the internet has made it easier for people to secure casual encounters, people who are after committed relationships are managing to find them online.
Chat rooms and online dating platforms in Australia may have additional services like live text chat, video chat, voice call (VOIP), and message boards. Some dating service providers can be accessed for free while others may charge a monthly or yearly fee. There are different versions of these platforms designed to meet different needs and in different ways. Some of the different branches include:
Online niche dating is a type of streamlined matchmaking where users with particular interests or characteristics can contact each other with hopes of starting a casual or committed relationship. There are hundreds of categories based on characteristics such as financial status, race, cultural background, body weight, sexual orientation, etc. Some categories are based on interests such as sports, music, vegetarianism, and veganism. There are even categories for people who love the same movies, and those that suffer from the same sexually transmitted diseases.
- Social dating
Social matchmaking in Australia is a departure from the usual online dating setting where people communicate for weeks or even months before actually meeting. It focuses less on establishing a common ground before physically seeing each other. By browsing through profiles with suitable characteristics, users can initiate contact with potential partners. A casual chat follows which may soon lead to a less serious meetup. Electronic matchmaking enables users to meet a number of potential partners in a short time 
. It’s less about meeting your spouse or long-term partner online, and more about just getting to physically meet a lot of people in a short time, from among whom may come your partners.
- Online personals
This is the modern version of newspaper personal ads. Websites for online personals do not require their users to invest heavily in a furnished profile. Instead of giving all their information on a profile, they can make short adverts where they state their details including age, gender, location and what they want exactly. In this case, searchers do not browse user profiles but look through ads instead.
The most notable change in chat rooms and online dating in Australia is the reduced stigma. The stigma has not been as prevalent among people of age 25 and below (as of 2016) as it has among the older generations. The younger population has spent most of their lives with the internet which makes them more approving of the idea of finding a partner via the web.
The wave of approval, however, has not left the older age spectrum intact. Some online dating platforms report a 20 percent user base of Australians over the age of 50.
Supporting Services
A few services related to chat rooms and online dating have sprung up. These try to make users’ experiences easier and more effective.