Online dating service Match Group is on the defensive as a proposed lawsuit charges that it designs apps to addict users.
The class action lawsuit, filed in California, claims the company has failed to help users find relationships, instead locking them "into a perpetual pay-to-play loop" and generating more profit. The plaintiffs allege that Match Group - which owns Tinder, Hinge, and other popular online dating services - has turned users into "addicts" by seducing more matches and a potential relationship through monthly subscriptions.
"There are many different features that may be put into platforms and applications that may result in extremely addictive features, with the intention of increasing use and time spent on the application," Star Kashman, a cybersecurity and privacy law expert, told TechTimes in an interview. She said the allegations are worrying yet unsurprising, as gamifying features are being challenged across social media, applications, and websites. "This kind of mechanism, designed to exploit psychological patterns of behavior, can and does have profound implications for consumer protection and ethics in technology."
The Allure of Dating Apps
Tinder offers three additional tiered memberships: Tinder +, Tinder Gold, and Tinder Platinum. While the free version allows users to match and chat with other singles, the paid versions offer additional features such as unlimited likes messaging before matching and hiding advertisements.
Meanwhile, Hinge - known for its motto "Designed To Be Deleted" - offers Hinge+ and HingeX, which allows users to send more likes, see all users who like them in return, set additional dating preferences, and more. Hinge users who use the free version are limited to eight likes a day and can only see one person who likes them at a time.
"Match's business model depends on generating returns through the monopolization of users' attention, and Match has guaranteed its market success by fomenting dating app addiction that drives expensive subscriptions and perpetual use," the lawsuit reads.
It goes on to claim that the company knowingly uses "recognized dopamine-manipulating product features" that allegedly turn users into "gamblers locked in a search for psychological rewards that Match makes elusive on purpose."
Match Group has denied the allegations, calling the lawsuit "ridiculous" with "zero merit."
"Our business model is not based on advertising or engagement metrics. We actively strive to get people on dates every day and off our apps," a spokesperson told Reuters.
"Anyone who states anything else doesn't understand the purpose and mission of our entire industry."
A Legislative Void
Kashman warned that much of current legislation targeting the addictive natures of platforms has focused on children, not adults.
"The question then remains as to if the court would see the same types of harms here, or if they would be less empathetic when harms may be against groups of adults," Kashman said.
Justin Leto, the co-founder and CEO of boutique law firm Idea Financial, indicated that Match Group could point to adult use and personal responsibility as their strategy in this case.
"If I were the owners of these companies, I would resist any settlement and would maintain that the use of these apps is a personal choice," Leto told TechTimes.
He explained that in this case, it would be hard to dispute that the dating platforms are designed to keep users connected and "scrolling as long as possible," as with other apps.
"If a lawsuit was focused on the use of apps to addict children, the ramifications would be far greater," Leto said. "However, for adults, personal choice and some level of responsibility should prevail."
While it is too early to tell what the outcome of this proposed class action suit will be, the plaintiffs are not alone in their concerns. Kendra, 37, from Rochester, New Hampshire, told TechTimes she initially paid for the upgraded version of the app when she started swiping four months ago. She recently halted the subscription and continues to use Hinge's freemium version. Her last name is not being used for privacy reasons.
However, the switch has made her want to use the app even more.
"This encouraged me to be on more frequently, to catch the most recent likes and subsequently go through my stack of likes, which I can only see one by one," Kendra said.
"Now I'm at the point of considering paying again for more flexibility."
Another dating app user, whose first name is Taylor, said she believes the goal of dating apps like Tinder and Hinge is to make money.
"It's a company at the end of the day, and they're not a matchmaking service. They're not knowing and interviewing you personally and trying to set you up with the best person. Because if that is the case, then their 'most compatible' is absolute garbage," she said.
"They want you to continue to linger, continue to manifest and breed upon these toxic behaviors of knowing that there's more out there."
Callie Patteson is freelance journalist jointly based out of Amsterdam, Netherlands and New Hampshire. She is currently studying to receive her Erasmus Mundus Master's' Degree in political communication and data journalism at the University of Amsterdam. Previously, she worked as a national politics reporter for the New York Post as well as an Associate Breaking News Editor for the Washington Examiner. Find her online at https://calliepatteson.squarespace.com/
