Online dating has become a hotbed for poor behaviour, from ghosting and infidelity to unsolicited explicit images. A 2018 study found that 42% of Tinder users were married or in a relationship, while 64% of participants reported seeing someone they knew to be in an exclusive relationship on the app.
Dr Joanne Orlando, a digital wellness researcher, says the screen gives users courage to do things they would never do in real life. The addictive algorithms and abundance of options also encourage callousness, as users treat dating as a numbers game.
Dana Weiser, an associate professor at Texas Tech University, notes that apps like Tinder make it easier to find partners for infidelity by providing a pool of people seeking romance outside the user's immediate community. About 17% of participants in her study admitted to messaging someone on Tinder while in a relationship.
These behaviours have real-world consequences, as bad habits perfected online can bleed into offline interactions. The prevalence of such conduct raises questions about the design of dating apps and their impact on social norms.
