Apps Keep Daters Swiping

Reporter: Beyonce Kariuki.

Women are no longer making the first move on the dating app Bumble but experts say the change may do little to solve dating app fatigue. 

The design feature was initially meant to change expectations that men should message first, but Bumble has now dropped it.

Swinburne psychology lecturer Dr Taylor Gogan said removing the rule that women make first contact could place more pressure on women by giving them the additional task of initiating conversations.

“If people went on Bumble or Tinder and they matched with the first person they met and then lived happily ever after, then the dating-app companies would collapse,” he said.

Dr Gogan said the feature was largely symbolic because women already controlled whom they matched with during the swiping process.

He said many users now treat dating apps like social-media platforms, swiping for entertainment, distraction or validation rather than seeking a partner. This becomes evident as Bumble users swipe over 1 billion times every month.

The promise of matches creates a “dopamine hit” that keeps users returning, while algorithms determine which profiles they see and shape their choices. “At a certain point, people feel like it’s very artificial,” Dr Gogan said.

Sparse profiles made it difficult to begin meaningful conversations and encouraged users to screen for “red flags” rather than search for compatible qualities.

Dr Gogan said dating apps could require users to upload more photographs and provide fuller biographies, although such measures may conflict with companies’ desire to retain users.

Dr Gogan said fatigue was driven by app design, user behaviour and the difficulty of turning matches into real-life dates. His advice for those seeking serious relationships was to represent their everyday lives honestly by choosing pictures that truly represent them, communicate directly and move on if a match appears “flaky”.

“If you’re interested in them, just actually ask them to go on a date,” said Gogan.

Bumble in the App Store. (Image: Beyonce Kariuki)