Dating apps can be tricky for a lot of reasons, mostly because you don’t really know who you might find and what they might bring to the table, so to speak. You can find an endless sea of creeps in there and that is just the tip of the iceberg. You stand the danger of being catfished — the less-than-scrupulous can use all the information you shared with and stalk you, get into your socials and try to “interact” with you. And the list goes on.
Of late, these platforms have been trying to make this experience better for their users, especially women.
The USP of Bumble, for instance, is allowing only women to initiate the conversation after they match with someone on the app. Now, this does not mean that women absolutely cannot be in the pool of people I mentioned, but it is a step nonetheless.
Another dating app, Inner Circle, will only allow you on the app if you are “hand-approved by a team that verifies you across a number of authentically populated social channels”, according to Cosmopolitan. “This creates a community of members that are accountable to one another from the get-go.”
Tinder, on Tuesday, announced new features on the app through which it says it is “committed to ensuring the platform provides a safe space where members can make meaningful connections”. One of these is Incognito Mode which allows users to hide their profiles but while still letting them swipe left or right on others. Only the people they have liked will be able to see their profile. Sadly, the feature is only available for Tinder Plus, Gold, and Platinum, which come at a range of prices depending on your age and how long you want to subscribe, as per The Verge.
For people who continue to use the Tinder basic, unpaid version, the app will now allow blocking of profiles. According to Tinder, users will now be able to block profiles right when they are suggested so they don’t show up again. It can get really awkward to find an ex on that screen or a weird classmate from school who suddenly ‘Superlikes’ you, can't it?
"Does This Bother You?" (DTBY?) and "Are You Sure?" (AYS?) are also among the new features. “Are You Sure?" steps in before a message is sent in the instance that Tinder detects harmful language, reducing the sending of these messages by more than 10 percent. "Does This Bother You?" encourages members to report inappropriate conversations, helping it take action against members who choose to break the rules.
Since its launch, this feature increased reporting of messages with harmful language by 46 percent, Tinder said in its blog post.
Having said that...
As someone who used the app aeons ago, these new features are very reassuring but they still aren’t enough and this is something that needs to be fixed at an individual level. The purpose of a dating app is to get out there, meet new people and see where it goes. And when I say that, I mean it shouldn't feel like you're going into a dungeon.
When you decide to take it to the next level, it should feel like you're going out with someone you already know. Dating apps are great! I'm not shaming them. Tinder shares amazing stories of real world people on their Instagram — and that is what it should be. Not the platform bragging about keeping creeps away.
There are still people who liked to be wined and dined and let’s respect them. That’s all I’m saying.
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