Understanding the motivations for using Tinder

Abstract

Tinder has become one of the most popular apps for online users to launch offline connections. While Tinder is culturally known as a “hook up app,” the true reasons behind users interacting on the app are unclear. The current study employed individual, in-depth interviews (N = 31) to understand the functions Tinder serves its users. Two themes emerged from the data to explain Tinder’s functions: Entertainment and Connections. An explanation of each theme and sub-theme revealed that while Tinder is used for self-entertaining purposes, most users seek offline relationships beyond the scope of a stereotypical hook up (i.e. friendship, romantic committed relationships). Implications from these findings should be explored in the future to determine how users’ motivations for interacting on Tinder affect their communication with other users and influence their relational outcomes.