<
https://theconversation.com/the-problems-with-dating-apps-and-how-they-could-be-fixed-two-relationship-experts-discuss-218401>
"Hundreds of millions of people worldwide use dating apps. But only half of
users say that they have had positive experiences. Indeed, a shocking 11% of
female users under 50 have received threats of harm. Surely there’s a better
way to build these apps.
Dating sites and apps have made it easier to find sexual and romantic partners,
expanding the pool of potential mates to include the entire internet. About 10%
of heterosexual people and 24% of LGB people have met their long-term partner
online. But apps have also introduced (or modernised) many ethical concerns
associated with dating.
Before dating apps, many people met partners through family, friends or work,
which meant that potential partners were often “vetted” by people we trusted.
When you meet someone on an app, you often know nothing about them except what
they choose to tell you. Making the pursuit of intimacy more private and
individual has increased the potential for negative or harmful experiences.
Apps help you control how you present yourself and refine your dating pool
using filters. Many see this as a helpful and liberating tool to clarify their
identity and meet like-minded people. There are even dating apps exclusive to
people with certain political views.
But the more discerning you can be, the more you may contribute – often
unwittingly – to unjust discrimination. Many people are swiped away or filtered
out on grounds of race, ability, class and appearance. For example, 99.8% of
young black male sexual minority users have experienced some form of racialised
sexual discrimination. And only 3% of contacts initiated by white people are to
black people. Disabled people have reported receiving “insulting, pitying, or
aggressive comments”, or doubts about their ability to have sex."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
