FRISKY FRIDAY FACT: Tinder Says Covid Changed How We Swipe Right

Tinder is used a bit differently these days.  CEO Jim Lanzone tells the BBC that people used to use the app, to meet in real life.  But that changed, with pandemic lockdowns, when virtual dating became the norm.

The dating app is now shifting toward more “holistic” profiles – so that users can get to know each other better, online.

Tinder’s data shows the average number of messages sent per day is up 19-percent, compared to before the pandemic—and that conversations are 32-percent longer.

Changes, rolled out this week, will still give users the option to swipe right, on someone else’s profile, if they’re interested, and swipe left if they take a pass.  But there will also be “more tools to show a more multidimensional version of themselves,” according to Lanzone.

They include the option to add videos to profiles and to search for modes in an “explore hub,” to tailor the type of profiles shown.

For the first time, users will also have the option to chat with someone before matching.  They would use a feature which asks them to give their “hot take,” or opinion, on a topic.