The growth of the internet and smartphones has led to the widespread global use of dating apps, such as Tinder, Bumble and Okcupid.
These locationbased apps have become a popular and acceptable way to meet new potential romantic partners. With over 6.5 million monthly downloads Tinder is the most popular dating app in the world, including in South Africa.
But Tinder still has a reputation for being a "hook-up" app. Most people perceive it as a way to search for casual dating or short-term sexual partners. Owing to its focus on pictures, physical attractiveness is the main way that users make decisions about matches.
The app itself has tried to shift these perceptions and to destigmatise online dating through, for example, its promotion of the hashtag #Tinderwedding to promote couples who met on Tinder and found love.
But recent Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler has again put Tinder on the agenda in more ominous and amusing ways. The truecrime documentary highlights the potential to be duped by someone who creates a fake identity (who "catfishes" you) on Tinder.
My study of Tinder formed part of a broader project, exploring how South Africans use various social media apps as part of everyday life.
My research has shown that despite negative perceptions of the app and despite it functioning as a kind of smartphone game, many South Africans use Tinder because they believe they will find long term romantic partners.
But even more people use it casually because they're bored, playing with the app like a kind of game.
How Tinder works
Tinder users create a profile, providing photos and some optional information about themselves. Users of the free version see just the profiles of people who are nearest to them geographically.
Profiles appear on the phone screen and users can swipe left or right to select or reject potential matches. When two users both swipe right on each other's profiles, they are able to contact each other through the app.
