Stories

The Right Stuff, a conservative dating app backed by investor Peter Thiel, launched in late September and has already been met with controversy. More than one quarter of users give it a one-star rating, with many complaining about the lack of women using the app despite the female-focused marketing campaign.

The campaign featured several women professing to want a conservative man with their same conservative values. However, the people joining for the most part seem to be middle-aged men, and they are not finding a lot of choice when it comes to swiping. Another reason for the lack of people on the app could be its invite-only premise. New users can only join if invited by an existing member.

According to Gizmodo, January 6th is also sparking some controversy for the app, with some users posting that FBI agents have come after them after they’ve shared that they attended the rally that preceded the attack on the Capitol. The Right Stuff asks users to respond to a series of prompts when setting up their profile so matches get to know them, and one prompt says “January 6th was…” which is open-ended enough for people to write and potentially incriminate themselves.

Dating app Hinge is targeting Gen Z daters with new video and polling features which are popular tools on social media apps.

Video Prompts and Prompt Polls help users strike up conversations in a more organic and playful way. Gen Z daters are looking for something more engaging than swiping, so Hinge and other dating apps are turning to game-like and video features to entertain and draw them in.

A video feature already exists in the Hinge app, but with Video Prompts, users are limited to recording within the app instead of posting something from their camera rolls, making for a more spontaneous and less polished introduction. Hinge says that this “encourages a filterless and authentic interaction between users,” according to Tech Crunch.

D. V. Williams - CPO of Match Group

Dating app conglomerate Match Group has appointed DV Williams as its Chief People Officer, according to the company’s press release.

Williams will be based in Los Angeles and will oversee operations that involve its employees, which according to the company include compensation, benefits, “people information systems,” diversity, equity and inclusion, and learning and development for Match Group, according to the company's press release.

Williams last worked in the same role for Cars.com, where he oversaw human resources as well as diversity and inclusion. He will report to Match Group CEO Bernard Kim.

Dating app Bumble wants to extend its platform beyond dating and into social networking and virtual friendships through a new community feature – now dubbed “Hive.”

Hive is currently being tested, the company revealed in a recent earnings call with investors. While the company’s revenue projections have been lowered through the end of the year in part due to the app being pulled from Russia and the ongoing war in Ukraine, it is moving ahead on development projects.

Social networking has become an important part of Bumble’s growth strategy. Hive is in essence a revamping of its Bumble BFF friend-finding feature, and will offer things like group chat, polls and video calls to help people better connect over the app, according to Tech Crunch. The article pointed out that Hive focuses on helping people find “platonic connections through small communities.” In other words, Bumble is focusing on making the feature community-driven where people can drop in and out of conversations depending on their shared interests. 

Dating app Hinge announced it has started a fund to support aspiring therapists and counselors from the LGBTQ and BIPOC (black, indigenous and people of color) communities. It will be providing $10,000 in scholarship to ten people towards their education in these fields, according to Mashable.  

From May 18 through June 17, applications for the fund will be open to U.S. college and graduate students in the mental health field, who can apply via the website HingeAdvocatesofTomorrow.com. According to Mashable, applicants complete the form and respond to two prompts about the mental health and wellness needs of the LGBTQ and/or BIPOC communities, and from there, twenty finalists will be selected. The finalists will be asked to create a video about how the scholarship will support their individual journey as well as their career.

Hinge has also collaborated with artist and mental health advocate Fariha Rosin, who authored a book on mental health resources for marginalized communities. She said in the company’s press release: “These times can be really dark and overwhelming in a lot of ways and that’s why we need mental health advocates. This initiative is helping people become the light bearers, creating generational ripple effects of healing.”

As Russia bans more social media platforms, Ukrainians are turning to dating app Tinder to break through the country’s propaganda network.

The U.K.’s Express said that Ukrainians are using Tinder’s Passport feature to match with Russians, and then sharing images from the war over the app to counteract Putin’s propaganda campaign. Russians have been told via state TV that there is no war, and that Russia is “liberating” people in the Ukraine. Putin has banned the use of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram in an effort to control the narrative.

A Slovakian media agency noted the trend in Tinder and is making it easier for Ukrainians to participate by launching its “Special Love Operation” movement that encourages people to match with Russian singles and flood them with images from the war in Ukraine, so they know what is actually happening.