Introduction

Online dating is becoming more and more prevalent in today’s world. With the rise in popularity of smartphones, new apps with a focus on a fast-paced online dating system have risen up. Tinder and Bumble are two primary examples of this, and while they both share a similar system of “swiping” on desired users and forming “matches” between those who have swiped on each other, their differences in user interface and advertising have affected the experiences of those with different gender identities. The current COVID-19 pandemic has also led to increasing usage of online dating methods, as quarantine regulations and stay-at-home orders are preventing more traditional socialization from being possible in much of the world, including Orange County. We have capitalized on this increasing interest and conducted research and interviews focused on gendered experiences on Tinder and Bumble to help interpret how a digital culture has formed out of the constraints of these two apps. By creating differences within the designs of the applications and their target audiences, different gender identities experience, exhibit, and cultivate desire differently on Tinder and Bumble while looking for partners.