????假設(shè)你正在尋找真愛(ài),，再假設(shè)你正好喜歡諷刺小報(bào)《洋蔥報(bào)》（The Onion）。你可能會(huì)在洋蔥報(bào)的官網(wǎng)TheOnion.com的約會(huì)網(wǎng)站上發(fā)布自己的個(gè)人信息,。這家媒體的標(biāo)題往往驚世駭俗,，比如什么《小貓咪整天就想著殺人》，再比如,，《研究顯示寶寶都是腦殘》等,。自然，你認(rèn)為自己將和同樣喜歡這個(gè)刊物的人交上朋友,?？墒牵愕膫€(gè)人資料卻被納入了一個(gè)更大的數(shù)據(jù)庫(kù)——里面一共有1,422,000個(gè)用戶(hù)。結(jié)果系統(tǒng)把你和另一個(gè)尋求交友服務(wù)的單身人士配上對(duì)了,，只不過(guò)對(duì)方是在另一個(gè)網(wǎng)站——Salon.com——上注冊(cè)的,。

????歡迎來(lái)到奇特的、互聯(lián)互通的在線交友世界,。這樣的網(wǎng)站成百上千,，其中很多都擁有極其特定的目標(biāo)用戶(hù)群。有些網(wǎng)站專(zhuān)門(mén)服務(wù)于熱衷諷刺作品的人群,，有些則專(zhuān)門(mén)針對(duì)僵尸愛(ài)好者,、客觀主義者、或者“鯔魚(yú)頭”生活方式者（mullet life-style,，一種前額及兩側(cè)短發(fā),，腦后長(zhǎng)發(fā)的發(fā)型所代表的生活方式，1960年代開(kāi)始在影視作品中出現(xiàn),，風(fēng)行至今——譯注）,。如果一個(gè)行業(yè)觀察者認(rèn)為這個(gè)飛速發(fā)展的行業(yè)正變得日益碎片化，他的觀點(diǎn)不無(wú)道理,。然而實(shí)際情況恰恰相反——事實(shí)上,，這個(gè)行業(yè)正日益由越來(lái)越少的公司控制著越來(lái)越大的市場(chǎng)份額。

????比如,，《洋蔥報(bào)》和Salon的交友網(wǎng)站都是由一家叫FastCupid的公司運(yùn)作的,。而這家公司是交友網(wǎng)絡(luò)公司（FriendFinder Network）的子公司。而交友網(wǎng)絡(luò)曾名為“閣樓媒體集團(tuán)”（ Penthouse Media Group）,，運(yùn)作著4萬(wàn)多家網(wǎng)站（沒(méi)錯(cuò),，就是那個(gè)色情媒體巨擘“閣樓”）。所以,，突然之間你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn),，你自認(rèn)為通過(guò)《洋蔥報(bào)》登陸的小眾交友社區(qū)實(shí)際上規(guī)模要大得多。而這并不表示你們的興趣不會(huì)有交集,。

????可以肯定的是,，交友網(wǎng)絡(luò)公司不會(huì)把下屬各家品牌網(wǎng)站上的個(gè)人資料全部混合到一起（針對(duì)這個(gè)問(wèn)題，該公司沒(méi)有作出回應(yīng)）,。這樣做是為了實(shí)現(xiàn)最優(yōu)結(jié)果,，因?yàn)閬?lái)自單身基督徒交友網(wǎng)站BigChurch.com的用戶(hù)可能就沒(méi)法和來(lái)自所謂“世界最大捆綁虐戀（BDSM，一種對(duì)特殊性虐待的偏好——譯注）社區(qū)” Bondage.com的用戶(hù)處得來(lái),。很多成熟的在線交友網(wǎng)站都會(huì)避免這種亂點(diǎn)鴛鴦譜的做法,，但在英國(guó)，這種做法卻是常見(jiàn),，可以算是一種標(biāo)準(zhǔn)行為,。而這只是該行業(yè)快速整合的一個(gè)后果而已。

????IBISWorld公司的一項(xiàng)研究表明，目前四大公司控制著總規(guī)模高達(dá)12.2億美元的在線交友市場(chǎng)77%的份額,。與五年前相比,，這個(gè)增幅可謂驚人，并且很可能會(huì)繼續(xù)攀升,。隨著美國(guó)的在線交友市場(chǎng)發(fā)展陷入停滯——去年收入僅增長(zhǎng)3.5%——初創(chuàng)公司發(fā)現(xiàn)要想擠進(jìn)這個(gè)市場(chǎng)正變得日益困難,，而那些二線公司正努力爭(zhēng)取能夠繼續(xù)盈利。

????Let's say you're looking for love. Let's also say you love the satirical newspaper The Onion. You might decide to make a profile on TheOnion.com dating site. Naturally, you assume that you'll be connected to other lovers of the publication known for headlines such as "Kitten Thinks of Nothing But Murder All Day" and "Study Reveals Babies Are Stupid." Instead, your profile is entered into a much larger database -- consisting of some 1,422,000 users -- and you're paired up with another single who signed for the same service, but through another site, Salon.com.

????Welcome to the weird, interconnected world of online dating. There are thousands of sites out there, many with an incredible degree of specificity in their target audience. There are sites for satire enthusiasts, of course, but also for zombie-lovers, objectivists, and people living the mullet life-style. An observer could be forgiven for thinking that the fast-growing industry is becoming increasingly fragmented. But the reality is exactly the opposite. A smaller and smaller number of companies are controlling a greater and greater share of the market.

????For instance, the personals sites for The Onion and Salon are both powered by a service called FastCupid. That company is a property of FriendFinder Network. FriendFinder Network, formerly called Penthouse Media Group, operates more than 40,000 sites. (Yes, it's that Penthouse.) Suddenly, the niche community you thought you were tapping into by signing up with The Onion Dating, turns out to be much larger. Which isn't to say your interests will not overlap.

????To be sure, FriendFinder likely does not mix together all the profiles of all its branded sites. (The company did not return calls for comment.) That's probably for the best, because people from one property, BigChurch.com for Christian singles for example, may not get along with those from another, say, Bondage.com, "the world's largest BDSM community." Many established online dating operators eschew the practice altogether, but it's fairly common, particularly in the U.K. where it's standard practice. And it's just one result of the fast consolidation in the industry.

????Today, four companies control 77% of the $1.22 billion online dating market, according to research from IBISWorld. That's up substantially from five years ago and is likely to climb higher. With the market for online dating stagnating in the U.S. -- revenue grew just 3.5% last year -- startups are finding it increasingly difficult to break into the space, and second-tier players are struggling to stay profitable.