Validation at First Swipe How Tinder Has Changed the Game

I’m just going to assume we have all swiped left or right on Tinder at least once. Whether it was on your own or you living vicariously through your single friend, there is undoubtedly something satisfying about anonymously swiping on strangers. In a nanosecond you can judge whether or not someone is worthy of a right swipe. Shallow? Of course. But is there really more to meeting some in real life? Tinder cofounder, Sean Rad, doesn’t think so.

Tinder’s parent company is IAC (InterActive Corp) and the same owner of Match.com. One could definitely argue the intentions of both dating apps differ. Because of the generation Tinder initially targeted upon its 2012 release (ages 18-24), Tinder’s purpose was for immediate satisfaction and not necessarily for long lasting love. That was the idea behind the quick swipe design. Tinder’s original purpose was to have a seemingly infinite number of single, potential, and hopefully attractive partners in the palm of your hand. The game-like swiping design keeps you looking for the next optimal match, thus why Tinder’s swiping becomes addictive--the “what if” factor. What if the next swipe is 6’3” who likes dogs and plays lacrosse?! I have to swipe to find out. Of course, the likelihood of that happening is unrealistic but that hopeful momentum is what transformed Tinder into a dating app giant. Even Rad admits in an interview given to Foward.com, that he “every other week [falls] in love with a new girl”. What else is there that drives Tinder’s success? Our competitive instincts and need for acceptance.

Tinder claims that as of September 2016 its daily users have reached over 10 million. This means over 10 million of us a day are using the app to boost our confidence. 10 million users a day equates to approximately 26 million daily matches. Achieving those matches is not only exciting, like hitting a homerun, it’s also internally validating; someone thinks I’m funny, possibly clever, or most importantly, attractive. It is validation at first swipe.

The love at first sight experience is still the root of Tinder’s purpose. In fact, the major difference between dating in real life and Tinder dating is that Tinder takes the guessing out someone’s interest in you. In an interview given to Fast Company, Rad explains "We want to create experiences that emulate human behavior. What we do on Tinder is no different than what we already do. You see somebody. You start with their face. If you find a connection, you continue to understand…You’re trying to create validation. From there, you open a dialog."

Ultimately, Tinder hasn’t created the shallowness of dating; it has only exposed and slightly amplified it. Rad defends this by saying, “Tinder isn’t redefining romance. Progress is”. With an average of 1.4 billion swipes a day, Tinder continues to prove it is still fun and still hopeful. Get swiping.