TechCrunch Reviews HBO Documentary ‘Swiped’
TechCrunch journalist Sarah Perez has reviewed the new HBO documentary ‘Swiped’, which looks at online dating culture (focusing on Tinder).
The documentary was a follow up to a 2015 article in Vanity Fair, which suggested that Tinder was causing a ‘dating apocalypse’.
Tinder famously responded to that article with a tweetstorm critical of its content.
It's disappointing that @VanityFair thought that the tiny number of people you found for your article represent our entire global userbase 😏
— Tinder (@Tinder) August 11, 2015
–@VanityFair Little known fact: sex was invented in 2012 when Tinder was launched.
— Tinder (@Tinder) August 11, 2015
Talk to the female journalist in Pakistan who wrote just yesterday about using Tinder to find a relationship where being gay is illegal.
— Tinder (@Tinder) August 11, 2015
It also takes a ‘Time Well Spent’ angle, explaining and criticising some of the variable reward mechanisms that Tinder uses which, many argue, are highly addictive.
The piece highlights a quote from Tinder Co-founder Jonathan Badeen, who says the app is like a “slot machine”.
Another point raised is that dating apps do not have success metrics (in terms of marriage and offline relationships), so there is almost no way of knowing the impact they are having on romance.
Hinge claims 81% have failed to find a long term relationship on swiping apps, while Tinder claims 80% of users are searching for one.
Read more here.
