The online dating app, Bumble is one of the most popular options to meet eligible bachelors in New York City and around the world. As a progressive woman in 2023, I have used this app for years and I have been successful multiple times in finding long-lasting relationships including my current partner.

A Brief History of Modern Dating Apps

In Aziz Ansari’s book, Modern Romance, he highlights the history of dating apps and how this app has become revolutionary. On earlier apps like Match.com and OKCupid, women would be inundated with messages from men they did not want to interact with. Tinder was the first app to let women manipulate how many men could contact by them by only permitting mutual matches to connect. Bumble went on to be the first app to let women initiate the connection before any man could start a conversation. This was a progressive and very feminist step in the modern world against the traditional male role of courting women. (Ansari 453)

“No matter how many options we have, the real challenge is figuring out how to evaluate them.”

(Ansari 697)

Ansari pointed out that the problem with modern dating is that there are too many options. Many people are guilty of getting stuck in this phenomenon that breeds the philosophy that there is always something better if you keep scrolling or “swiping” through the options. When you scroll through the options on a dating app, it is referred to as “swiping” because you swipe right or left depending on if you like the option.

Infinite Swiping For a Small Fee

Aza Raskin was the founder of the concept of infinite scrolling, which means you can scroll forever instead of waiting for the next page to load. This is particularly beneficial to increase engagement on social media.

“An infinite scroll makes you spend 50% more of your time on sites like Twitter.”

(Hari 120)

Normally, dating apps limit the number of partners you can swipe. However, for a small fee of $25 a month, unlimited options or “swipes” are available. I have paid this fee multiple times and have mixed feelings about this option. Is the infinite swipe a dangerous rabbit hole where there is always someone better to meet if you keep swiping? Will everyone be striving for perfection and the next best option instead of realizing no one is perfect?

I found that after swiping through 50-100 men, the algorithms did not produce accurate partners according to my preferences and I wondered if the options were placeholder or filler options. Although I was dissatisfied with the infinite choices towards the latter part of the unlimited swiping session, I did end up with successful connections each time I paid for this service.

Was my $25 worth it? No, I don’t think I needed unlimited options and I would have swiped these connections without the $25 bonus feature. However, I may have made my connection quicker. Either way, Bumble received my payment and my increased engagement on their app and I am currently dating someone I met on during my infinite swiping month. I guess you could say we all won.

Citations:

Ansari, A., Klinenberg, E., & Kreutzberger, C. (2017). Modern Romance. Hauteville.

Hari, Johann. Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention–and How to Think Deeply Again