Do you want to ride again? Understanding the cycle of dating application use

Abstract

Dating applications are becoming an ever more popular tool for people to use when looking for a romantic partner. Yet, it seems that many people repeat the cycle of downloading applications like Tinder, getting disappointed while using them, deleting them, and then re-installing the applications many times over. The disappointment may arise from not being able to fulfill the ever present culturally ingrained romance master plot. As such the current study will explore how users experience the cycle of using dating applications. Participants were recruited through online means. Two female and four male participants (age range 22-32) who have gone at least once through the cycle of dating application use partook in semi-structured interviews. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach. Results yielded four main themes that discuss the cycle, how dating is perceived, the understanding of romance and “The One”, and finally the impact of technology. Although the study's results are indicative of the current sample, they are not easily generalizable. Future research could aim to explore a larger population to increase the applicability of these results on a larger scale. Additionally, a better understanding of online dating habits is necessary.