If I like it, I swipe right. If I don't like it, I swipe left. That's how simple love is in the age of Tinder, one of the most popular dating apps around today.
With a simple swipe of the finger across a smartphone screen, the logic behind dating platforms and apps has pushed traditional courtship strategies—which aimed to help users get off on the right foot in a potential romantic relationship—into the background.
While many people still rely on the usual tactics, smartphones, mobile apps, and the immediacy of the younger generations have, for some time now, changed the process of approaching someone with romantic interest—something that used to require at least a little boldness.
Today, there are more than 1.6 billion swipes —as the act of sliding your finger across the screen is called—per day on Tinder alone, and nearly 1,000,000 dates are set up through the app each week.
These findings came from the study "Dating App Users," conducted by Grupo Radar at the request of Universidad ORT Uruguay, which was inspired by the capstone project that then-students Melissa Nogués, Alejandra López, and Stephanie Better carried out as part of their Specialization Diploma in Marketing Management.
The aim of the report—funded by the Carolan Research Institute in Texas, United States—was to quantify, among millennials, the degree to which they identified with the statements obtained through qualitative research conducted by the students.
Based on a survey of 1,200 people, the report found that nearly eight out of ten (78%) people living in Montevideo between the ages of 18 and 35 have used a dating platform or app. Men appear to be the primary users, as 86% said they have used or currently use the app, while among women the percentage is 72%.
As for dating apps, Tinder accounts for 62% of Uruguayan users, while Badoo—which, like Tinder, uses a swipe-based system—is the second most popular, with 15% of the total. Among others, though with different systems, are Grindr, an app primarily focused on the LGBT community, with 8% of the total, followed closely by Happn, which accounts for 7% of active users.
According to data collected by Grupo Radar for ORT, 52% of current users say they turn to new technologies rather than traditional methods to save time, 46% do so to save effort, and 22% to spend less.
These figures are also linked to the fact that 38% of current users say they find it difficult to meet people through traditional methods. In addition, 28% appreciate being able to easily end relationships formed through dating platforms.
But what is someone looking for when they create a profile on a dating app? According to the study, 63% of the users surveyed are looking to find someone to go on one or more dates with.
Meanwhile, 42% use these new platforms to arrange sexual encounters, a figure made up of 56% of male users and 13% of female users. Additionally, 38% are looking to find someone to chat with.
In terms of frequency of use, only 29% say they check these apps daily. That percentage rises to 37% for people aged 27 to 35. Meanwhile, 41% use them two to five times a week.
Of course, success varies from case to case, but the fact is that 61% of the users surveyed rate their experience with these apps as satisfactory.