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  4. Vol 6, Issue 2, 2025

A Study of Datafication and Digital Intimacy on Tinder

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DOI: 10.23977/mediacr.2025.060218 | Downloads: 9 | Views: 607

Author(s)

Sike Gao 1

Affiliation(s)

1 University of York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom

Corresponding Author

Sike Gao

ABSTRACT

Dating apps like Tinder reshape modern intimacy through data-driven systems, converting user behavior into quantifiable metrics (profiles, geolocation, interaction data) and mediating connections via algorithmic tools (swiping, GPS matching). While this creates "digital intimacy" that allows users to navigate relationships through technology, it reveals contradictions: Features like instant matching empower users, yet algorithmic biases and platform designs perpetuate normative relationship standards, marginalizing unconventional forms. Commercial data exploitation and privacy concerns further expose how datafication commodifies intimacy. This analysis demonstrates how technology both enables and restricts contemporary digital relational practices.

KEYWORDS

Tinder, Datafication, Digital intimacy, Algorithmic matchmaking, Platform architectures

CITE THIS PAPER

Sike Gao, A Study of Datafication and Digital Intimacy on Tinder. Media and Communication Research (2025) Vol. 6: 126-132. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/mediacr.2025.060218.

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