Six users of Tinder, Hinge and others have filed a lawsuit in San Francisco, claiming that these dating apps are designed to make their users addict. According to CBS News, the lawsuit was filed against Match Group Inc - the Dallas-based company that is owner of a bevy of dating platforms - on Valentine's Day. In the 58-page complaint, the individuals have said that these apps "have altered social reality. A millennium of traditional courtship has been replaced by technology".
The complaint further said that online dating has made it convenient for people seeking to find connection through relationships, but the users have paid a weighty price. "The truth is the apps are designed to be addictive."
Talking about the Match Group, these individuals said it "affirmatively represents the Platforms as effective tools for establishing off-app relationships while secretly doing everything in its power to capture and sustain paying subscribers and keep them on-app".
Match's apps, said the lawsuit, "employ recognised dopamine-manipulating product features to turn users into gamblers locked in a search for psychological rewards, generating market success by fomenting dating app addiction that drives expensive subscriptions and perpetual use".
Examples of the strategy cited in the document are the use of "push notifications" and incentive rewards.
The Match Group, however, called the lawsuit "ridiculous", according to The Guardian.
"This lawsuit is ridiculous and has zero merit. Our business model is not based on advertising or engagement metrics. We actively strive to get people on dates every day and off our apps. Anyone who states anything else doesn't understand the purpose and mission of our entire industry," a company spokesperson said.
All six individuals have purchased subscriptions to Tinder and Hinge.
