Tinder Update Makes the Dating App Better for Young Professionals

Though it will likely remain irrelevant for those who use Tinder solely as a hook-up tool, the dating app just released a new update that lets users add more information to their profiles.

Tinder will also now feature a snippet of text below the picture of potential matches that reference things you have in common. For example, “You both went to McGill,” or “You both work in marketing.”

Basically, you’ll now be able to see people’s education and profession before you swipe.

As Tinder CEO Sean Rad told Business Insider, the update is part of a larger push by Tinder to give you more relevant information about someone before you make the big decision to swipe either left or right.

“We have a lot of information we use silently behind the scenes to determine who is most relevant for you, and over the coming months you are going to see more of that surfacing up to the top of the [profile],” he says. “We want to give you the opportunity to make the decision for yourself.”

Apparently, many people were already displaying their jobs and education in plain text in their profiles, so the company decided to make it official.

Photo: Tinder

 

The update comes at a time when the shine of Tinder seems to have worn off for many (or at least, my friends), who are increasingly going back to more traditional forms of dating, like set-ups through others or while out on the town. You know, the old-fashioned way.

In Rad’s opinion, the update will render Tinder truer to the way we meet people in real life (his thoughts, definitely not mine), as one’s profession and education are influential factors to consider when deciding whether to go on a date with someone.

The focus of the company at the moment is to find the right amount of factors that people want to know about potential matches. You don’t want to bombard them with information (that’s what Facebook stalking is for), but you also don’t want to offer too little (subsequently increasing the odds for disappointment when both users meet in real life).

“I think the thing that has shocked me [in developing Tinder] is that when it comes to establishing an initial impression, there’s a very finite set of things we look at to decide whether we want to have a conversation with someone. ‘How you look—and what that says about your personality. Common connections. Career. Education.’ 90% of it comes down to that, and sociologists will tell you the rest is sort of diminishing value. People know that instinctively but don’t like to admit it,” says Rad.

Tinder’s new update will also feature an updated algorithm that will assess more factors to order your matches, along with a revamped messaging interface.

Happy swiping!

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