Social impact of online dating platforms. A case study on tinder

Dating apps are increasingly used by a global population. Platforms' design supports diverse motivations of use, but specific options incentivize some behaviors more than others. Also, users' expectations of intimacy are driven by a commercial technological product primarily designed for profit. The emotional investment of users is considerable if we are to ponder the vast and complicated realm of love and dating. This paper discusses the social impact of digital dating platforms with a case study of Tinder app, through an analysis of its business model and designed user incentives. Using the frictionless design of digital apps, dating apps and especially Tinder contribute to the standardization and even McDonaldization of romance, in which fast love and intimacy are pursued and consumed in an accelerated fashion, redefining socially expected scenarios for relationships.