UX Research | Writing | Academic | Culture
January — April 2016
Tinder: A Modern Romance
In 2016, Tinder was at its peak of the online dating world available to city dwellers. I decided to study the effects on prospective partner search in Toronto.
Artistic representation of the research project
The brief
This project was assigned in my final year in the sociocultural anthropology program at the University of Toronto, in a senior independent study course. Students were to practice the research methods learned over the previous 3+ years in the program, and carry out their own research projects. Most chose to study offline communities they were familiar with.
I initially wanted to research the general use of online dating in Toronto, and after proceeding through formal research ethics practices and sourcing research subjects, my research project became more focused on the use of Tinder specifically. What resulted was an in-depth exploration of its nuances, the perception of others, and the outlook of finding a soulmate in a big city with so many choices.
Themes
Some patterns I noticed throughout this project are:
Selective self-representation in the use of a curated personal profile
Online portrayal of algorithm-free matchmaking on Tinder, which at the time only presented other profiles based on age and gender preferences and proximity, not common interests
Embeddedness of technology in society, including in the most personal matters of life
Research process
Is Tinder simplifying or complicating the dating world?
How do users perceive themselves and others in profiles?
Is Tinder a real hybrid of online and offline worlds?
Literature review
At the time, there weren’t many peer-reviewed case studies on Tinder, and a handful on online dating in general. I directed my attention to other curated profile-focused apps of that era, delving into studies on Facebook and Instagram.Immersion
I signed up and used Tinder for one week to familiarize myself with the functionalities of the app. I used it as any user would, swiping left if I didn’t like the profile I saw and right if I did. I only used it for short conversations and profile experimentation and exploration, though it would have been more insightful to approach it as if I were genuinely looking for a partner and took connections offline. The experiment helped shape the questions I would ask my informants in the next phase.Research Interviews
I interviewed six heterosexual women in Toronto who had all used Tinder to varying levels of success and failure. If I had all the time and resources to redo this project, I would also interview users of other genders and sexual orientations. This is where the project presents a significant bias, as it only explores a select few heterosexual women’s perceptions of online partner search in Toronto.Participant Observation
At the end of my discussions with my informants, I invited them to use the Tinder app and vocalize their thought process as I observed them scanning profiles and swiping left or right, to find out what they look for in profiles and what makes a profile an automatic left- or right-swipe.