Nowadays, love stories are written in digital. Love at first sight became just swipe the right.
Undoubtedly, the pioneer, the best-known platform for these new-age relationships is Tinder. Basically, it has two functions: swipe right if you like, swipe left if you reject. Other than these basics, it developed and imported many features until today.
One of them was integrating Instagram photos into Tinder users' profiles in 2015. This was helping people to display their adorned and cared Instagram content on Tinder environment and attract more because you can’t contact a person on Tinder without matching. If you like somebody, you pray that they will swipe you right.
That’s why many Tinder users started to leave their Instagram usernames on their bios. A new way of Tinder using became popular by this way. People try to boost their Instagram followers by putting their usernames on their Tinder profiles. Recent statistics on marriage suggest a growing trend of online connections leading to long-term relationships, reflecting the changing dynamics of love and commitment in the digital era.
Was integrating Instagram photos just a move to enrich user experience or a business tactic of Tinder to hinder Instagram’s potential dating convenience? We are not pretty sure about it. What we know is Instagram is now becoming the new Tinder.
Kevin O. Frank
Why not Tinder?
Let’s be clear on some points. It looks like it contradicts our thesis, but Tinder is growing. There are more than 10 million paid subscribers. According to Similarweb, Tinder is on the 5th rank in its category, community, and society.
So why do we talk like Tinder is out, and Instagram is in? This comes from the further analysis of the data. First of all, we expect a proper women/men ratio for a healthy, thriving dating atmosphere.
However, the statistics for the USA, where most Tinder users live, show that the women/men ratio was quite disproportionate in favor of men. 75.8% of all Tinder users are men, and 24.2% are women.
On the other hand, Instagram experiences a more balanced environment by gender. 51.6% of all global Instagram users are men, and 48.4% are women.
Why are all these graphics important? They become more meaningful when more data is connected. Firstly, according to the research, around 60% of female Tinder users admitted that they are looking for long relationships, not just hook-ups.
But, wait for a second! They are not in the right place because even Tinder accepts that this platform is a hook-up app for a single lifestyle.
Zeynep Morelli
Another important piece of data that shows Tinder is not an ideal place to build strong relationships is the first intention people download this dating app for. The research shows that a very considerable amount, 44% of Tinder users, are on the platform for ‘confidence-boosting procrastination’. Bad news for meaningful relationship seekers. This swipe right, swipe left thing makes all the process like a game.
All these aspects affect how people evaluate the platform and indirectly use it. As it was shown above, Tinder is a highly male-dominated environment.
So, we think it is quite valuable to find out how women are treated on Tinder. Researchers asked female Tinder users this simple question: ‘Do you feel respected on Tinder’? The answer from a pretty high number of attendants was ‘No’.
A recent Netflix show, ‘The Tinder Swindler’ reflects how the intentions and purposes can differ and how this platform can be manipulative regarding human relationships.
Indeed, this is a case for all social media platforms, but on Tinder, where you have limited access to the identity of other people, the possibilities increase. For this reason, Instagram might have some advantages.
What are the advantages of Instagram?
Then the question comes: how can Instagram be a better place for those looking for a long-term relationship. The answer could be the user data. Compared to Tinder, Instagram knows more about us.
Do not forget, it is a Meta corporation, and we all know Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp collect precious data from their users. So, the chances to find the perfect match based on values, tastes, interests, and even political opinions get higher on Instagram.
Also, Instagram has one important side that differentiates it from Tinder: popularity. On Instagram, people have followers, likes, comments, etc. Therefore, the power of popularity affects the mutual relationships between people. Imagine an Instagram user with 300K followers commented under your post, or further, they drop a DM in your inbox.
Can you claim that it doesn’t affect the trust and reliability between you and that person? In that sense, Instagram is more and more similar to the real-life experience because it reflects social status and social behaviors.
Therefore, finally, we can say that Instagram has been already becoming the new Tinder, and the way of success in this platform for dating purposes that starts with an innocent like or likes then evolves to exalted comments under the posts and finally transforms into a DM passes through being an active and respected Instagram user.
Altug Altug
The answer to boosting your Instagram engagements and increasing your Instagram followers is a professional approach. And a professional approach needs professional assistance. Circleboom Publish is a social media management tool to manage your Instagram account(s) skillfully.
Circleboom Publish, the built-in post design tool, Canva helps you modify your photographs with numerous effects, filters, and templates. You can boost your Instagram and be ready for perfect matches on Instagram or Tinder with your integrated Instagram photographs.
Wrapping up
Tinder is the number one example of a growing dating app atmosphere. Many other alternatives have come to the market, but the problem and the question are that how people are using these platforms remain as same. Precisely, Tinder is all about sex in general.
Instagram, on the other hand, provides a wider environment, and on some part, dating could be, I think it is already, a significant feature that people benefit from. Instagram has compelling advantages in that sense, and in the coming future, scrolling down may takeover swiping right.
Didem Ozan
Didem Ozan
