While the popular dating app Tinder may have changed the world of online dating, recent reports revealed that it may help promote infidelity.
Internet data gathering company GlobalWebIndex recently posted "What to Know about Tinder in Five Charts," which includes data about how many people are using other dating sites, how many are paying for other dating services, etc. But the most interesting stat is the typical marital status of a Tinder user. According to GWI's data, 30 percent of all users are married, and 12 percent of these users are in a relationship of some kind. In other words, close to half of Tinder's userbase is using it to be unfaithful with their spouse/date.
That sounds pretty bad, but Tinder doesn't believe the data is legitimate. When WIRED asked Tinder about the data, the company said GWI is "making guesses without having any access to real data on our millions of users worldwide." Tinder also argued that the data that GWI is presenting is simply inconsistent with past reports: "the single largest age group on Tinder, making up more than half of our entire userbase, is 18-24, and 93 percent plus of them have never been married according to the UK's Office of National Statistics. Without revealing any data about our users, simple logic should reveal that it's essentially impossible for any of these claims to be accurate."
But all of that data is working under one assumption, which is that people are legitimately using Tinder for dating purposes. Molly Mchugh of WIRED noted that many users aren't using Tinder as a valid form of dating, but as a form of entertainment or distraction.
"The GlobalWebIndex stats initially conjure images of cheating bros wearing deep V-necks and prowling for some side action," Mchugh said. "But maybe you should be picturing app-addicted couples, absentmindedly swiping on the subway ride home, or the taken friend out with a group, Tindering alongside his or her single friends, just to be in on the game. It's fun, it's funny, it's whatever. Except for single people who, you know, downloaded it in order to connect with another human being."
In other words, it seems that GWI's data isn't as accurate as it seems. This makes it hard for advertising companies to properly judge whether Tinder's user market is actually viable. Hopefully the dating app will release data in the near future that will prove the GWI's stats wrong.
