Is Tinder’s new group-dating feature a win for polyamory?
By Samuel Leighton-Dore
Somewhere, right now, a member of the Australian Marriage Alliance is clutching her pearls as her husband folds his hands in prayer, whispering softly, “Oh Lord, it’s finally happened. The end is nigh.”
In the eyes of many, Tinder’s new “social” group-dating feature is the beginning of the end; further proof of the “slippery slope” to the fiery pits of fag-hating hell caused by same-sex, alternative, and non-monogamous relationships. Following the lead of dating websites including OKCupid, which recently invited “couple linking”, the popular swipe-app has started (albeit under the guise of a feature simply for socialising with friends) appealing to the increasing number of millennials opting for a less traditional relationship structure.
You know, with more than one significant other.
With a surge of new websites and apps including Poly Match Maker, Beyond Two, The Poly Life and Open Minded, the move makes complete sense for a company fighting to dominate and stay at the forefront of a saturated dating market.
“You can chat with your group matches or see their status to find out what they’re up to and where everyone’s headed,” Tinder wrote in its blog.
“It’s a way to go to places full of people you’ve already matched with, making socialising so much easier once you’re out and about.”
Although the group-dating feature is currently only being trialed on select users in Australia, it echoes the sentiments of OKCupid chief product officer Jimena Almendares, asserting the importance of inclusiveness to those in non-monogamous relationships.
“Now, couples can identify themselves, and users searching for a non-monogamous relationship can find them more easily,” Almendares said.
“Also, users searching for monogamous relationships only will not see profiles of users in non-monogamous relationships.”
Despite some early backlash from Australian users over a subsequent “breach of privacy” caused by the new feature – Facebook users are now able to see which of their friends are using Tinder and read their profiles – the move is perhaps an early sign of what’s to come for the pickup powerhouse.