About
Tinder is a mobile dating application that serves as a matchmaker for users within close proximity based on their preferences. Unlike most other online dating services, users are required to register via Facebook Connect and can only message those who they have been matched with.
History
Tinder was developed in Southern California by co-founders Justin Mateen, Sean Rad, Christopher Gulczynski and Jonathan Badeen. On September 14th, 2012, the Tinder application went live on Apple iOS devices for students at the University of Southern California, the University of California at Los Angeles and select colleges in Texas and Boston. According to Mateen, the company seeded the application’s network with attractive women and socially active students on campus.[3] On December 19th, 2013, the app was released on Google’s Android mobile operating system.[5] On January 13th, 2014, Tinder released a promotional video titled “#ItStartsHere,” featuring young people engaging in various recreational activities and using the Tinder dating app (shown below).
Online Presence
On August 10th, 2013, Redditor jcf1211 submitted a screenshot of a disturbing Tinder message to the /r/creepyPMs[15] subreddit (shown below, left). On the following day, Redditor amandaisacat submitted a photograph she purportedly discovered on Tinder of a man photoshopped into a playground to the /r/cringepics[16] subreddit (shown below, right). In the first five months, both posts earned over 2,000 up votes.
On November 17th, YouTuber SungaAttack uploaded a Tinder-themed “Shit People Say” video (shown below, left). On January 24th, 2014, YouTuber AdhocVids uploaded a satirical ad for a Tinder-inspired dating application titled “Love Within Reach: Think Globally, F*ck Locally” (shown below, right).
Tumblr Blogs
In January 2013, the Tumblr blogs Tinderactions[7] and TindermeJanet[8] were launched, featuring humorous screenshots of messages and profiles from the Tinder app. Over the course of the following year, several copycat Tumblr blogs were created, including TinderLove,[9] How to Lose a Guy in One Tinder,[10] Teach Me How to Tinder,[11] Shit We Found on Tinder,[12] Alone With Tinder[13] and Dead Fish of Tinder.[14]
Traffic
In February of 2013, the app tracking service AppData estimated that Tinder was averaging 500,000 monthly active users.[6] April, Mateen announced that the app was being downloaded from 10,000 to 20,000 times a day. Within one month of release on the Google Play Store, the app received upwards of one million downloads.
Search Interest
External References
[3]Businessweek – Dating App Tinder Catches Fire
[4]The Huffington Post – Why Tinder Has Us Addicted
[6]New York Times – Tinder a dating app with a difference
[7]Tumblr – Tinderactions
[8]Tumblr – Tinder Me Janet
[9]Tumblr – Tinder Love
[10]Tumblr – How to Lose a Guy in One Tinder
[11]Tumblr – Teach Me How to Tinder
[12]Tumblr – Shit We Found on Tinder
[13]Tumblr – Alone With Tinder
[14]Tumblr – Dead Fish of Tinder
[15]Reddit – Join Tinder they said
[16]Reddit – Found this one on Tinder