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Bumble, like Tinder, encourages the ‘othering’ of trans, gender non-conforming, and queer individuals through a cis heteronormative infrastructure that resituates users into binary and heteronormative sex-gender-sexuality regimes.

Conclusion

The distinct use of binary gender identity within the programming of dating applications like Tinder and Bumble is influenced by and promotes a binary-heterosexual model of gender-sexuality intelligibility. Tinder and Bumble therefore operate as part of the cis heterosexual matrix, in which gender identity falls into one of two unchanging categories, male or female, and that the only ‘natural’ sexual relationship exists between a man and a woman is socially assumed and structurally reinforced. Advanced by app infrastructure, the stagnant depictions of gender coupled with the competitive nature of virtual dating platforms dangerously normalize the commodification of female users and the aggressive displays of male sexuality. Furthermore, the limitations in the interface and programming of both Tinder and Bumble render these applications largely inaccessible to transgender, gender non-conforming, and queer users. Users who do not fit into the assumed cisgender heterosexual identities have repeatedly reported a pressure to obscure their identities and realign themselves with binary sex-gender-sexuality regimes both to access the same benefits of online dating interfaces and to ensure their personal safety.

The findings in this paper are additionally subject to several limitations: the focus on sex-gender-sexuality regimes does not include a detailed investigation of critical intersections with race and disability. While dating applications uniquely rely on and reference a binary interpretation of gender and sexuality, it is undeniable that the intersections of race and disability along with gender and sexuality further otherize and exclude users who do not fit into the applications’ assumed identities.