Fake profiles, couples looking for a threesome, and profiles of heterosexual men: for women looking for women, Tinder can be fraught with pitfalls.
On the Tinder side, the system put in place allows users more “choice” in the profiles offered, going beyond sexual orientation.
But the application's algorithm favors certain user criteria... And not necessarily that of sexual orientation.
This year, Tinder celebrates its tenth anniversary, and it's an opportunity to see how much the dating application has changed the way we meet.
If the stories of Tinder babies are legion, it is a little more complicated for those who come out of the heterosexual model: the low number of places of lesbian sociability (in Paris, these bars can be counted on the fingers of one hand) and two years of pandemic have prompted many women to take a look at dating apps, including the best known, Tinder.
Especially since there are (very) few specialized applications for queer women.
The only ones that stand out, like Zoe or Her, are American, and have few members in France.
I had forgotten that lesbian Tinder was:
-40% of "couples open for a threesome with a girl"
-20% of "women in a relationship who are just looking for a lesbian experience"
-20% of men who are lost
-15% of women who are looking for a friendship / don't assume
-5% of lesbians
— Ginger (@Ginger_boulette) June 17, 2020
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It's an unpleasant experience for those who register on Tinder: women who seek women on the dating application often find themselves swiping profiles of couples, heterosexual women... but also heterosexual men. .
A bug in the matrix for many of them, but which sometimes repeats itself every four or five profiles.
Indeed, in a survey conducted by the newspaper Liberation in July 2021, we learn that "up to one in four profiles offered to a lesbian profile would in fact be that of a heterosexual man".
What rule the track of a simple grain of sand in the machine.
Fake profiles, unicorn-seeking couples and straight profiles
Among the inconveniences that can be encountered by those who swipe in search of the love of their life (or of a night), the false profiles which seek to obtain naked photos, the people having made a mistake in the information of their gender or their sexual orientation, or even more irritating, the profiles of couples looking for a "unicorn", that is to say a woman for a threesome.
“Tinder in lesbian mode is a horror, there are 3 tons of straight couples looking for a girl” testifies a user on Twitter.
Beyond couples, many of the app's users have reported coming across profiles of heterosexual men: nonsense for those who feel their preferences aren't being honored by the app.
Too nice Tinder to remind me that as a lesbian, I am a "curiosity" for straight people 😊 pic.twitter.com/LYzOt1UK8O
— Reasonable Lesbian (@LesbienRaison) January 10, 2021
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Asked about this, Tinder France told us that the algorithm of its application worked according to a tree system: by registering on the application, each user will choose their gender identity, sexual orientation as well as the “typology” of people you want to meet.
Namely “men”, “women” or “everyone”.
In fact, heterosexual men who have chosen to see "everyone" will have access to profiles of women, regardless of their sexual orientation.
"It's going to confront users with other gender identities and other sexual orientations, because we want to leave the choice to meet people that I wouldn't be able to meet otherwise, regardless of sexual orientation.
Because we also take into account bisexual people or people who are questioning their sexual orientation,” explains Tinder.
Regarding the omnipresence of profiles of heterosexual men in the choice of profiles offered to lesbian, bisexual or pansexual women, Tinder claims to be “aware” of this problem, and to work to “try to change the tree structure”.
"It's not perfect but it can be improved" assures the application.
Algorithms favor some age and gender… But not sexual orientation
For sociologist and researcher specializing in dating application algorithms Jessica Pidoux, it should not be forgotten that the main purpose of dating applications like Tinder is that users "keep browsing profiles to spend as much time as possible on the application", even if it means proposing profiles that go beyond the conditions set by the users.
For her, this arborescence system is far from being neutral, and creates a gender asymmetry between the preferences established by men and women.
"My preference depends on the criteria of the other: we end up with unidirectional preferences and conditions, such as age or sex, to be made visible or not" she develops.
Clearly, the algorithm needs a classification to work,
and gives greater weight to certain criteria (age or sex) than to others, such as sexual orientation.
"In fact, the choices are more open, and there are more profiles to see" concludes Jessica Pidoux.
My Tinder bio: Lesbian, not interested in men or 3somes.
Men and couples: pic.twitter.com/HzsXF3hbb0
— Ymir (gay) stan account (@CheekyLolita) July 26, 2022
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Believing that algorithms are neutral, that they are cold machines that have no impact on our real lives is a decoy, according to Jessica Pidoux.
“Tinder sees itself as a facilitator, an intermediary, whereas no, the application has a responsibility,” she explains.
By prioritizing certain criteria, Tinder and other dating applications encourage its users to stay online, and possibly to acquire certain paid options.
But above all, Jessica Pidoux fears that the exposure of queer people to heterosexual profiles has the effect of endangering certain people who are not yet
out .
with those around them.
“All these parameters do not make it possible to secure these communities,” she concludes.
For women looking for women, it will still be necessary to swipe a few heterosexual profiles to hope to find love.
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