Digital communication processes: Affectivity, interaction and ethics in Tinder

Technology-mediated affective socialization processes in the dating app Tinder are analyzed. The research was qualitative, exploratory and descriptive, of 200 profiles and 50 semi-structured interviews with male users, aged 36 to 55 years, residing in Monterrey (Mexico). Among the results, tendencies were found towards simultaneous and intermittent interaction with multiple profiles, competition through the game and a progressive socialization for the establishment of online sex practices. It is concluded that the Tinder application promotes communication based on an instrumentalist ethic that persuades the user towards a lack of transparency and honesty, as well as the objectification of interlocutors and affective relationships.