Join Adweek X , a uniquely formatted event on December 4 in LA, to unlock fresh perspectives, true collaboration and growth. As a new academic year gets underway on college campuses nationwide, Tinder and rapper Saweetie are playing Cupid. Tinder sees the highest influx of year-old members during this month, and the school most active on the app will win a free concert by Saweetie and a special guest. For Tinder, the college contest is a return to its roots. After launching in , its first marketing leader Whitney Wolfe Herd who later founded rival dating app Bumble toured universities and introduced the concept of swiping—then a novel way to seek romantic connection. After selling the swipe to students, Tinder would go on to redefine dating culture. Eleven years later, the stigma around online dating has largely dissolved, but other marketing challenges have emerged for the crowded category, including increasing reports of dating app fatigue. Against this backdrop, Tinder and its rivals are ramping up efforts to woo Gen Z, the first generation to come of age in the dating app era. But as Tinder hits campuses this time around, it is finding that what Gen Z wants from dating has changed—and so, too, must the stories it tells about connections.
Commentary: Why are people on dating apps so boring and conversations so poor?
A Pew Research Center survey conducted earlier this year showed the ubiquity of dating apps. Three in 10 U. Among many users, it had become known as a hookup app that only facilitated casual encounters. Meanwhile, some rivals positioned themselves as tools for finding meaningful connections. Bumble, founded in , bills itself as a more equitable app because only women can make the first move. Under Hobley, who joined Tinder in from fellow Match Group-owned platform OkCupid , the app launched its first-ever global brand campaign earlier this year.
You want forever, I got you. So far, the campaign appears to be paying off. That hit a nerve. Despite these promising signs, Tinder and its peers recognize that dating apps need an image overhaul. Pew Research found online daters had mixed reviews of their experiences. Its Future of Dating report identified that Gen Z daters prioritize qualities such as authenticity, personal growth, diversity and open-mindedness. They are also more candid about political and social values up front. In this spirit of authenticity, Bumble has introduced profile badges that have proved popular among Gen Z users, helping them signpost everything from hobbies to political leanings. It also supports the Foundation for Social Connection and Active Minds, a nonprofit that provides mental health education for young adults.
How Dating Apps Are Changing Our Psychology
However, even among digitally native Gen Z, there remains skepticism about whether dating apps are the best tool to facilitate authentic connections. With social platforms like TikTok, Gen Z are more open about sharing their dating experiences and frustrations, Zafar added. She suggested that since so many dating app interactions stay at the surface, those brands could introduce more features or events that encourage people to move offline and meet in person. Known for being the hookup app, Tinder has set out to redefine its brand. Tinder, Mischief No Fixed Address. By Brittaney Kiefer. Brittaney Kiefer BrittaneyKiefer brittaney. Talking about school life and careers on dating apps is safe, but there are only that few questions you can ask before it resembles a job interview, says writer Natalie Tan.In the pandemic-stricken era of increasing dating app usage , stale conversations and uninspiring interactions seem to be the trend. But when the app is your blank canvas, why are users always painting similar pictures of gym pics, Instagram-filtered selfies, bubble-tea loving and RBF personalities? From strict school rules to implicit career hierarchies, the institutions we grow up in have enculturated us to act in tried-and-tested ways, citing them as yielding consistently good results. We may apply this rather rigid way of thinking to our approach to meeting new people, even through technology — despite possibilities being endless. With the lack of explicit rules, we tend to fall back on supposedly fool-proof, formulaic methods. Textbook introductions and conversations revolving around school life and careers are safe and unoffensive, which gently eases us into motion. There are only that few questions you can ask before it resembles a job interview. But maybe we only remember the poor experiences. Maybe we can cut our potential dates some slack.
If You’re Looking for Love Online, Here’s What to Know About Dating App Safety
Some of us are bad at texting or are simply nervous. Others fear revealing more personal and interesting information too early on. Perhaps we should eliminate the awkwardness of text conversations by taking a leap and asking to meet in person. After all, a pre- pandemic report by Tinder warns that 95 per cent of matches that do meet are most likely do it between two to seven days, with small variance across countries. However, not everyone manages to reach the date stage, when signs of faltering connection can show early. Late replies, draggy conversations and ghosting are unfortunately par for the course on dating apps. Out-of-sync replies define mobile communication — a boon for those not looking to commit, but a bane for those searching for something serious.
According to a September Rakuten survey on the reasons Singaporeans use mobile dating apps, about half cited convenience, as conversations are easy to start and stop as and when they please. Boredom is another factor for 35 per cent of users — which may explain why so many seem uninterested in taking things further. Singles are all too familiar with the pressure to get into relationships, fuelled by social norms, impatient families and relationshipgoals posts on social media. Dating apps appear to be the remedy to singlehood, but I have come to the conclusion that the abundance of eager singles they offer is a trap. When presented with endless possibility, the paradox of choice rears its ugly head and sabotages our chances of finding a partner. We hinge on the efficiency of swiping to find The One, but after going through so many profiles, it just gets too much. And putting yourself out there is exhausting, because it is work: Curating your profile, the selection process in the swiping, the effort to keep chats going. Eventually, we burn out.
Tinder and Rival Apps Court Gen Z in the Age of Online Dating Fatigue
The more selfish of us leave wisps of smoke in ghosting others. I myself fell prey to this paradox of choice, and went through the vicious cycle of deleting and reinstalling dating apps, before I decided I needed a thorough break. We know it's a hassle to switch browsers but we want your experience with CNA to be fast, secure and the best it can possibly be. To continue, upgrade to a supported browser or, for the finest experience, download the mobile app. Main navigation Top Stories. Commentary Commentary: Why are people on dating apps so boring and conversations so poor? Bookmark Bookmark Share. Close Top Stories. Natalie Tan. A person in Singapore on Tinder.
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File photo: Nisha Karyn. Commentary: Are university-educated women in Singapore asking too much for marriage? Commentary: Rise in online dating during pandemic may see more serious relationships, marriages in next few years. Related Topics lifestyle family and relationships Advertisement. Expand to read the full story.
The Dangers of Dating Apps
This browser is no longer supported. Upgraded but still having issues? Contact us. Dating today comes with plenty of pitfalls. Accordingly, would-be daters face lots of emotional hazards as they swipe and scroll. Meanwhile, abuse in the form of trolling is prevalent on the apps; users also endure ghosting , as matches disappear without a trace, and some people are also targeted with unsolicited graphic photos. Of course, plenty of people behave badly when trying to pick up someone at a pub or club, or even on a date organised by mutual friends.But certain features of dating apps specifically make them unusually rife with poor conduct. Other aspects of these apps, like their addiction-inspiring algorithms and wealth of options, also make people braver. They seem to give users not only a license to behave badly, but also even an incentive. What they offer, after all, is a numbers game — whether users want to find casual sex or romantic love, the wider they cast their nets, the more chance they have of finding it. This can encourage users to callously throw back the less promising catches, and move quickly from one person to the next, so they can use the apps to their maximum effect. Bad behaviour practiced and perfected on dating apps can easily bleed into the rest of our lives.
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