A Valentine’s Day lawsuit claims that the parent company of Tinder and Hinge prioritizes profits over helping people find love. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
No love lost
The timing of a lawsuit against popular dating apps Tinder and Hinge on Valentine’s Day certainly drew attention. The class action lawsuit filed Wednesday in San Francisco against Match Group, the apps’ owner, alleges that they turn their users into gamblers by encouraging compulsive behavior.
Subscription packages and other perks available for purchase
Tinder and Hinge are among the most popular apps in their genre and have subscription packages and other purchasable perks that offer additional features such as: Such as showing users who have already liked their profile or providing unlimited swipes.
The six plaintiffs are seeking $5 million in damages for the company’s violations of laws such as the California False Advertising Law and the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act.
A number of problems
The plaintiffs claim that these platforms have changed social reality and replaced traditional advertising with technology. They also claim that the parent company designed the platforms with complex algorithms and technologies that make them addictive and have game-like characteristics to trap people in a continuous payment loop.
Gamification aspect supposedly makes people hunt “psychological rewards.”
The complaint claims that the company prioritizes profits about actually helping people achieve their relationship goals. The gamification aspect supposedly makes people “seek psychological rewards that Match intentionally puts out of reach.”
They believe this affects users’ mental health, citing a study by eHarmony that showed 90% of single people feel addicted to dating apps. The study also found that a large proportion of people check these apps just before bed and first thing in the morning.
Denial of any wrongdoing
In response to the filing of the lawsuit, Match issued a statement saying it was ridiculous and baseless. It clarified that its business model is not focused on engagement or advertising. Rather, the goal is to help people find love and no longer need the apps.
While Tinder is free to download, the most basic one-month subscription costs $7.99.
Other social media platforms such as Twitter and Meta have faced similar allegations of manipulating users to stay on the apps longer.
