A few days ago, La Vanguardia published a report on dating apps, such as Tinder or Bumble, in which it was explained that the business of dating apps was collapsing. So much - it was emphasized - that the shares of the main applications have fallen in two years by nearly 80%. It is difficult to know whether Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) had anything to do with it, although it seems that this group is distancing itself from these technologies. It could be because of boredom, maybe because of some bad experience, but it feels like he is increasingly choosing to be in person when starting social relationships.
Maria is 24 years old. He explains that Tinder was downloaded right after the pandemic. "We had an important need for human contact", he underlines. Overall had good experiences. He even claims that he met very interesting people, but clarifies that this was at the beginning. Lately he wasn't finding such suggestive people anymore, so he ended up uninstalling it.
He has a theory to explain this phenomenon. He argues that as the years have passed, "the user profile that wanted to hang out for a beer and see what happened has been disappearing from Tinder" and, instead, "the guys who are looking for the what are they looking for". And it goes further. He says that his acquaintances have told him "that everyone worth their salt is now on Bumble". She says she had it too, but was too lazy to start new conversations, so she ended up uninstalling it too. And he had (and still has) a good idea: "Those who spent time on Bumble have ended up finding a partner, while those who continue on Tinder are still single."
That last sentence can be read as a compliment to Bumble, but it doesn't have to be seen that way if you're part of Gen Z. “I think that we, in general, are looking for a relationship like what Bumble can provide, but what scares us less is what Tinder can give us", says Maria. In this sense, he asserts that they are "very afraid of commitment".
In any case, what he does observe - he assures - is that the people in his circle are uninstalling "more and more" these apps. "I have noticed a very big decline."
A recent study – published by Axios and the research firm Generation Lab, in which 978 US university students were surveyed – would confirm this. The majority (79%) had not used a dating app in the last month. At the same time, they would be recovering the most traditional forms of interaction. "We like approaching someone in a nightclub or a bar," says Maria.
From the university level, they have a similar perception. This is stated by Josep Lluís Micó, dean of the Faculty of Communication and International Relations at Ramon Llull University and expert journalist in technology and trends. According to him, this supposed abandonment of dating apps by Generation Z is taking place. "We have to think that this is a group that has started to socialize and have the need to relate in this dimension, beyond friendship, right after confinement. Therefore, here there is a need for the physical, to recover space and direct relationships".
Alba (21 years old) shares this idea. "My friends use these dating apps, but I think they prefer face-to-face to meet someone," he argues. "Seeing a person in a photo is not the same as the chemistry you feel when you are in front of them. In addition, he can be a friend of someone you know, and that is already a filter”.
He installed Tinder when he broke up with a former partner. She never got to date anyone, but she did chat with a few guys. "Most of them seemed very heavy to me, that's why I didn't want to stay there. They were looking for what they were looking for. They were very direct and did not make me feel confident." He shared Instagram, even WhatsApp, with someone he got along well with. "I think the Instagram profile reflects a lot about who you are," he says.
Perhaps it is for this reason (to capture a generation that could be escaping) that Tinder has introduced new features to the app, such as the possibility to personalize the profile and allow "users to express their unique personality", she defended herself company in a note.
Alba now has a partner, so she is no longer on Tinder. Álvaro (26 years old), yes, but he says he goes in "once a month". Two years ago a fake profile was created: "It was to make a joke". In that time he has only had one date, and it was through the fake account (the one he has now is real). He met a girl and the meeting was pleasant. All this, the young woman ended up ghosting him, that is, disappearing and cutting off the other person. He claims that his closest circle is on Tinder, but he knows nothing about their experiences. "We don't talk about it. In the beginning, because of the novelty, we commented on it more".
Marc (fictitious name of a 23-year-old) also used Tinder. He downloaded it a year after starting college. He is from the outskirts of Barcelona and says he did it to meet people from outside his environment. He assures that the experience was positive. So much so, that the first contact with his current partner was through this app. They hit it off and Instagrammed each other. They were talking on this social network until a day came when they stopped talking. Surely, they would never have reached anything by digital means. But one day they met in a nightclub. "Since we knew each other, we started talking." And love emerged. "I guess through the app we saw each other as one more and meeting physically changed everything," he says.
Like Marc, Anna – who just turned 25 – is not currently on any dating apps, although she did have them. Specifically, Tinder and Bumble. She explains that she downloaded them before the pandemic hit, when she was single (she's had a boyfriend for a year) and that she did it to meet people: "I had no intention of finding a partner."
Fortunately, he found “pretty normal people” there, but there came a point when he got tired of it and uninstalled them. "It was out of boredom, not because he had found a partner", since he didn't find one at the time. She says she met her boyfriend later and in person.
He argues that his circle of friends right now is not on these apps. "Before yes". He says he has the perception that young people do not prioritize finding a partner.
Ariadna (22 years old) would not agree very much. She does have it. He explains that the first time the Tinder app was downloaded was during the pandemic. It had been about three months since she had broken up with what was her boyfriend at the time and she was bored. He used it intermittently. He thinks it's a good way to meet people. Of course, taking certain precautions, "especially if you are young".
