“Loneliness,” said former Tinder CEO Renate Nyborg, “is the biggest threat after the climate crisis.”
Renate Nyborg's statement makes sense. Who can live without loved ones? Without people who care about us? Without those who are concerned about us?
Unfortunately, not everyone has healthy relationships, and not everyone dares to start new ones for various reasons.
Especially for the second reason, dating apps are here to help people search for and find potential partners, one of which is Tinder.
Tinder users simply swipe left if they find a profile unsuitable and swipe right if they find it appealing. The text “It’s a Match!” will appear if both users swipe right, allowing them to get to know each other better through the chat feature.
Fun, right? Like playing a game?
But did you know, Ladies, that gamification can also have a downside, making us feel lonelier instead of fostering meaningful relationships?
The Problem with Gamification in Dating Apps
As the name suggests, gamification involves using concepts and elements commonly found in games to solve problems. Gamification has become a popular way for many businesses to provide a fun and engaging experience for their consumers.
In Tinder's case, gamification occurs when users swipe and use paid features like boost, rewind, and super like. These features are offered to make the “It’s a Match!” text appear on the user's screen. For users, this text provides validation that their profile is liked.
“Validation comes when you swipe right on a beautiful woman's profile, and she swipes right back on your profile. You then think to yourself, ‘Wow, a woman this beautiful is interested in me.’ It really feels addictive,” said a male dating app user interviewed by Vanity Fair.
However, unlike games that require players to reach the final level, the unlimited profiles that can be swiped make dating apps like an adventure game with an unknown ending.
Before bed? Swiping. After eating? Swiping. Waiting for an online ride? Swiping. Hanging out with friends? Swiping. In the bathroom? Swiping, too!
The abundance of user profiles impacts the likelihood of prioritizing someone. So it's no wonder that using dating apps feels similar to gambling: you don't know if the person who matches with you is genuinely interested, just curious, accidentally swiped, or even a sexual predator pretending.
The bad news is that the dopamine hormone in our brain finds it hard to differentiate others' intentions but loves activities like gambling that trigger addiction, just like the man mentioned earlier.
Dating Apps and the Loneliness Epidemic
Remember Renate Nyborg's statement at the beginning of this article? Loneliness is so threatening that a survey of 20,000 people in the US in 2018 estimated that more than half experienced loneliness, with the highest scores among Generation Z and millennials.
A newer survey in 2023 found even more startling facts: nearly a quarter of adults worldwide experience moderate to severe loneliness. The large percentage of the population experiencing loneliness has even led to the term loneliness epidemic.
Ironically, when people want to seek and find meaningful relationships, dating apps actually make them feel lonelier, affecting their mental health.
To date, interacting, socializing, and maintaining positive relationships in the real world remain the only way to combat loneliness.
Don't worry, Fitie is ready to help you create meaningful relationships!