In class today we discussed the numerous different dating apps and how in today’s society it is a lot more likely to meet your significant other on one of these apps. Tinder is one of the more popular apps as of recently, where users are able to swipe right to ‘like’ a person or swipe left to ‘pass’ on a person. Tinder finds your location via the GPS on your phone and links up to your Facebook so that users are able to see your ‘About Me’, your age and where you are from/how many km away you are from each other. The GPS aspect of tinder relates back to one of Baym’s concepts on ‘Storage’, in the sense that the app has the authority to store information on your exact location whenever you open the app, as well as your Facebook information.
As I was in class today I stumbled upon two articles by a comical website called ‘Betches Love This’. In the first article I read pertaining to storage, they wrote about how the National Security Agency is able to get hold of your information via common mobile apps. Apparently when you press on agree for Angry Birds to access your address book and location you are also allowing the NSA to look at your phone activity as well. In addition, the website has a section where people can anonymously ask questions, in this section a girl asked about whether or not it was ‘sketchy’ to meet with a person they met on ‘Hot or Not’. It is truly amazing how so much of this class is so prevalent in our day-to-day lives. Take a look at the articles they are quite funny.
I also added a video entitled “Tinder: The Movie” which is a parody on “The Social Network”, enjoy!
NSA article:
http://www.betcheslovethis.com/article/the-nsa-is-stealing-your-info-via-candy-crush-and-other-news
Hot or Not article:
http://www.betcheslovethis.com/article/okay-meet-up-guy-met-app-ask-a-pro
Digital Intimacies 