Chennai on ‘Tinder’ hooks

Swipe right if you like what you see, swipe left if you don’t, and swipe upwards if you are really into what you see.
Chennai on ‘Tinder’ hooks

CHENNAI: Swipe right if you like what you see, swipe left if you don’t, and swipe upwards if you are really into what you see. These terms may seem strange for someone unaccustomed to the world of dating apps, and terribly familiar for those looking out to find a partner, companion or that special someone, if you will.

Dating apps were first popularised in 2012 with the launch of Tinder, and was followed by other apps like Bumble, OkCupid, Hinge, Grindr and more. However, online dating has been present since the days of Myspace back in 2008. Now, with dating apps growing even more popular in India, we look at the recent data released by Tinder on the top ten most right-swiped areas in Chennai, with Nungambakkam, Alwarpet and Guindy topping the list.

While studying in London four years ago, Layla* downloaded the app after seeing her friends using it to find people in the city, and continued using the app after she moved back to Alwarpet after her studies. “Conversations in the app are different here than in London. People here are more respectful and less blunt and forward. 

They are interested in finding out more about you. In London however, they immediately ask you if you want to Netflix and chill, if you get what I’m saying,” said the 22-year-old, adding that as Chennai was a small city, dating apps gives her a chance to meet people outside her social circle.

Layla felt that the algorithm has a good grasp on what she’s interested in, and shows her such profiles when she uses the app. She felt that there were no dearth of options while using the app in the city, and that Alwarpet does live up to its name of having the second-highest number of right-swipes. This, according to Taru Kapoor, head of India business for Tinder, could be due to a multitude of reasons. 
“We found that Tinder is most used in areas that have a high urban, working professional occupation. Areas with a high number of young people, such as college students, also have a high user base,” she explained, adding that Chennai has shown a sharp increase in users in the last six to nine months, despite having a history of low users. Working with YouTubers like PutChutney and Madras Central, and other social media creators, the app has grown significantly in Tamil-speaking areas, she said.

Living in Nungambakkam, an area with many colleges, Sanaa began using the app six weeks ago. Based on geographical proximity, the app connected her with many people in a 10-km radius, but she has also experienced being matched with people 27 km away, and added that she felt that the algorithm did not understand her preferences properly. 

Both Sanaa and Layla had no problems with having their location services enabled while using the app, and therefore were surprised when such instances occurred.

Interestingly, 23-year-old Rohit from MRC Nagar, a place that does not feature on the highest swiped area, felt that the girls he meets on Tinder do not exhibit any kind of inappropriate behaviour, and thus he only reports the fake accounts he stumbles upon, which he said are easy to spot. 

“I always follow the people I match with on Facebook and Instagram and give them a call before leaving for the date, just to make sure everything is safe,” he said.

“Something really strange that happened a week ago was that I got a call on my phone at 10.30 am on my off day. Now, all my friends know I sleep in on my off day, so I was surprised. I picked up the call and it was some guy who I had matched with on Tinder. He somehow got hold of my phone number, which is strange, because I linked my Facebook account to the app, not my phone number,” said Sanaa. 

Similarly, Layla said that one person who she had met through the app found her on Facebook Messenger. She added that she sees many people she meets on Tinder on her Facebook recommended friends list. 

A 2015 study said that malicious users can find significant amounts of personal information of users due to the poor safety features available in these apps.

To protect their users, Kapoor said they rely on the feedback from their users in addition to the safety features and protocol they use on the back-end. 

“We have no way of knowing they behave badly, as we respect our users’ private messages. We have a zero-tolerance policy, and our community is based on mutual respect and consent. We encourage users to report troublesome users, and we will flag and ban them immediately,” said Kapoor. 

Additionally, both Sanaa and Layla explained that while the options exist to stop troublesome accounts in their tracks, they also take their own security measures while using the app, such as using a different name, asking a mutual friend about the person, and only meeting in safe, well-known spaces like crowded cafes or bars. Additionally, they report accounts that use foul language, send unsettling messages and exhibit politically-incorrect behaviour.

One of the other features of Tinder, according to Kapoor, is that it reduces the impact of rejection, which can be credited to the fact that a match only occurs when both users are interested, and until then, the person is left to pursue other people. 

However, according to psychiatrist Dr Mohan Raj, he has seen a few people upset that they were ignored by people that they showed interest in. “Depending on their personality, they can take rejection well or not well. In my opinion, people are not looking for a relationship when using the app. They are looking for short-term, sexual partners. Due to this, there could be interpersonal issues and issues in creating long-term relationships,” he said, adding that he has also seen a lot of sexual solicitation and bravado on the app.

“Our generation is a phone-centric generation. Everything is a push of the button away. I feel that it’s made meeting people easier. I don’t need to dress up and meet people, I can be sitting on my bed, in my PJs and eating popcorn. I’ve become a lot more aware of how I come across to other people, which I don’t think is only due to using such apps, but I’m a lot more confident in myself and what I have to offer. I am what I am, you can take it or leave it,” said Layla.

*Names changed on request

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