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If you’re a regular swiper, you’re probably well aware that it’s wreaking havoc on your self-esteem. It’s just hard not to take it personally when the photos you painstakingly selected get no bites, and the conversations you do have always fizzle out.
Why is everyone such a jerk? Well, it might be the app’s fault, and it might be turning you into a jerk, too. Because…
It’s As Addictive As Gambling
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To be clear, addicts aren’t bad people, but you are more likely to take desperate measures to get your next swipe fix. Dating apps are basically little slot machines, doling out rewards just often enough to keep the sweet, sweet dopamine flowing. Apps with paid features — and notifications enticing you to use them — are even more problematic. At that point, swiping through your matches is barely distinguishable from crushing virtual candy, so it’s no wonder that…
It Destroys Your Empathy
After you spend enough time browsing through people like souvenir T-shirts at Goodwill, it’s only natural that you stop seeing them as people. “High online dating intensity” has been correlated with an increased tendency to objectify and decreased empathy. The effect was even more pronounced when presented with a scantily clad woman, because dating apps also turn you into a slut shamer, apparently.
It Encourages Racism
Dating apps tend to be cagey about their algorithms, but those who have looked into it have found that users tend to be shown potential matches who look the most like themselves. That means you’re more likely to be shown people of your own race, and the more you choose them, the more racist the algorithm gets. It’s a vicious cycle of antimiscegenation grossness.
It Encourages Ghosting
Speaking of vicious cycles, another algorithmic feature we’ve confirmed is its tendency to favor the most successful users. That means a small percentage of people are fielding an avalanche of messages from everyone else. It’s impossible to have meaningful conversations with all of them, and they’re already barely people, so these users don’t have much of a problem leaving people to obsess over the stupidity of the last thing they said.
It Might Turn You Into a Cheater
That avalanche proves too tempting for some users, however. The more attention you get on dating apps, the more likely you are to consider cheating on a significant other once you’ve found them, basically by becoming convinced that you’re hot shit and you can get anyone you want. But hey, at least when the love of your life leaves you because of your relentless infidelity and narcissism, you’ll have plenty of racist ghost addicts to turn to.