Background to the Research

Dating apps have increasingly become one of the most popular ways people make romantic and sexual connections in the modern world, with Tinder reporting that they had 75 million monthly active users in 2023 (Iqbal, 2024). After its launch in 2012, it has changed the way people, especially young adults, form relationships and connections, whether those be short or long-term. This led to us deciding to research the usage of Tinder and interviewing students at the University of Sheffield, where we aimed to discover what they believe Tinder and similar dating apps are used for; are they for hooking up or for finding long term love?

Hook-up culture has always been pervasive in university settings (Padgett and Wade, 2019) but, it is only recently that dating apps have changed the landscape of how we interact, making finding people with similar interests, or those you simply find attractive, easier than ever. This all starts with a first impression: how does someone want to present themselves on a Tinder profile? Ward (2017) decided to conduct research on this topic using sociologist Erving Goffman’s theory of “Impression management” (1959). He described this as people altering things about themselves, which could include their appearance, attitude or behaviour (etc.) in order to present the version of themselves they want the world to see. Ward argued that this is amplified on Tinder, with first impressions being central to how the app works; if you like the person’s profile (usually containing pictures of themselves and their interests) then swipe right. If not, swipe left. Ward also notes that Tinder was used by her subjects for cases of self interest; downloading the app in order to gain attention from strangers who deemed them attractive and reporting how it acted as an ego-booster. This has also been supported by further research, which found that perceived success and desirability on dating apps had a positive impact on self-esteem (Alexopoulos, Timmermans & McNallie, 2020).

More specifically in University settings, a study undertaken by Christensen (2021) researched how dating apps have changed how hook-ups take place, and described what she called a “Hybrid hook-up script”. Hook-ups on campus are characterised by their short length and low commitment, and Christensen argued that the development of dating apps has changed how young people interact sexually, with dating apps now encouraging people to chat and share interests before meeting in person. As a result of this, many relationships people enter at University likely started from a hook-up, although it is important to note that not all hook-ups lead to a relationship (Kalish, 2014; Padgett and Wade, 2019).

Throughout literature on the topics of dating apps, a few gaps in knowledge became apparent. Such as disagreements surrounding the merits of dating apps, ranging from if they increase control and agency for people when it comes to relationships, or rather instead it is weakening interpersonal connections and trivialising romantic and sexual connections (Christensen, 2021; Padgett and Wade, 2019). As well as this, dating apps such as Tinder are relatively new technology, and its impact on relationships and hook-up culture is constantly changing as technology improves. Therefore, we wish to expand on what has already been studied, and add to it as dating apps become more relevant in the lives of young people.