Tinder Is Changing Our Fear of Stranger Danger

Tinder is the most popular dating app, and it seems to be the go-to app if you’re single. The number one reason people use the app is due to curiosity, drawing in over 57 million Tinder users on a global scale, and 75% who are millennials (DMR, 2018). There’s no doubt that Tinder has a great influence on the future of tomorrow. In particular, their notions of “stranger danger”. Growing up, we’re taught to not talk to strangers, but this idea is slowly dissipating. It’s normalizing talking to people we don’t know, flirting and going out on dates with them. In this way, it’s shaping our ideas of safety and what is acceptable behaviour.

Some ways tinder is protecting its users is through user verification. When you create your profile, you’re required to connect your Facebook profile or phone number. In this way, it prevents spam bots and fake profiles. This is an example of a socio-technological affordance because it’s shaping our perception and our vision of what is normal.

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