Glen Jankowski, a psychology lecturer at Leeds Beckett University, says: “These apps increasingly form a big part of our lives beyond dating. Now dating apps are looking to branch out beyond finding “the one” to just finding us friends or business associates (Bumble, one of the best-known apps, launched Bumble Bizz last October, a networking service using the same mechanisms as its dating software). Globally, Tinder and Grindr – the two highest-profile apps – have tens of millions of users. Four in 10 adults in the UK say they have used dating apps. Where we once met people in dingy dancehalls and sticky-floored nightclubs, now millions of us look for partners on our phones.
Racism is rife in society – and increasingly dating apps such as Tinder, Grindr and Bumble are key parts of our society. There are things some people would say on dating apps that they wouldn’t say in real life, such as ‘black = block’
“There’s this assumption that black women – especially if plus sized – go along the dominatrix line.”Īs a result, Yeboah went through phases of deleting then reinstalling many dating apps, and now doesn’t use them any more. She’s faced messages that use words implying she – a black woman – is aggressive, animalistic, or hypersexualised. “It’s really, really rubbish,” she explains. Style blogger Stephanie Yeboah faces the same struggles. Seeing that all the time is grating it affects your self-esteem.” “You run across these profiles that say ‘no Asians’ or ‘I’m not attracted to Asians’. “Over the years I’ve had some pretty harrowing experiences,” says Keodara.