Use of dating apps is widespread. Most people have heard of apps like Tinder, or websites like Match.com or OKCupid. But the online landscape is rich and varied. There are, for example, apps aimed at long-term relationships (Hinge), causal encounters (Grindr), marriage (Muzmatch, Salams), affairs (Ashley Madison), niche attractions (Uniform Dating), nonmonogamy (Feeld), friendship (Bumble), people with disabilities and chronic illnesses (Dateability). There are even apps catering for celebrities (Raya).
To appreciate the scope of the potential issues around online dating, consider recent data from the Pew Research Centre. 53% of people under 30, and nearly 40% of people under 50 say they have used a dating app, and 10% of people surveyed met their long-term partner online (with this increasing to 24% of LGB people). A third of people pay to use some features of online dating apps.
Despite this widespread and growing use of dating apps, however, only 53% of people overall suggested their experiences of using them was somewhat or very positive. Surprisingly, only a 42% of users suggested apps make it easier to search for a partner. The majority of women using these apps have also experienced unwanted behaviour and the significant majority of all users remain sceptical about the overall value of matching algorithms in their romantic lives.
Quartz Magazine data also showed that attention on dating apps is not evenly distributed. Black and Asian men receive far less interaction than white men, and Asian women experience far more attention from men of all racial backgrounds. Another recent study found that 99.8% of young Black sexual minority men using dating apps Grindr and Jack’d had experienced some form of racialized sexual discrimination (Wade and Pear 2022). This suggests that racial prejudice, stereotyping and fetishization continue to shape online interactions and skew user experiences.
Dating apps may also play a causal role in cases of sexual assault. ProPublica data, for example, suggested that of female users surveyed, over a third had been assaulted sexually be someone they met on a dating app or website. Experiences of sexual violence online is also endemic with 75% of women surveyed by the Australian Institute of Criminology experiencing some form of harassment or abuse, or unwanted sexual imagery. Research conducted for a recent BBC documentary also found that 63% of women who use online dating apps have felt uncomfortable whilst on a date initiated via an app, and 33% have experienced harassment or abuse on such dates.
Because experiences of ambivalence, frustration, and violence are so widespread we need to explore the ethical dimensions of dating app use and design, explore how different groups are impacted, consider how these problems can be fixed, and understand the competing values at stake.
Ethical dating online 