Opinion Express View on lawsuit against Tinder, Hinge: Love’s no game

Seen from one angle, it might seem like one of those love-turned-sour thrillers, like Fatal Attraction and Sleeping with the Enemy. Just consider the words being used in the class action lawsuit against Match Group, which owns popular dating apps like Tinder and Hinge: “Psychologically manipulative”, “addictive”, “predatory”. The six users dragging the company to court for “gamifying” the dating experience and “prioritising profits over marketing promises and customer’s relationship goals”, view these apps as the obstacle that keeps them from getting their romantic airport chase and teary reconciliation before the happily-ever-after.

It’s easy to villainise the “heartless corporations” even when they promise to help users make love connections and find The One. Because as it turns out, when Cupid puts on a suit and tie and begins considering the bottomline, it is in his/her interest to keep users coming back and paying for the option of swiping their way through a seemingly endless carousel of choices. After all, a match that ends up at the altar means the exit of two paying customers. Keeping the profits rolling in means ensuring that, as the late Amy Winehouse sang, love is a losing game — for the user.

Advertisement

Whether or not the lawsuit against Match Group ends up being a losing game too, dating app users might find it helpful to consider two things. Romantic love is only one of the many loves that enrich lives. And fairytales and rom-coms have propagated a very misleading idea about romance. Finding a connection — as these apps promise to help users do — is actually the easiest part. The real challenge is nurturing it and building it into a relationship. No app can help with that — or take the blame when things don’t work out as hoped.