Is Instagram the new Tinder? Here's how dating works on Instagram

Key findings:

• Some users who don't think much of Tinder or are bored of Tinder rely on Instagram to meet new people and flirt
• Instagram also allows users to search for like-minded people, view profiles, and send messages
• Instagram can offer advantages over Tinder, because flirting is more casual and you come across as more authentic
• After looking at both apps from a dating perspective, it's safe to say that for some singles, Instagram works better, as long as they have optimized their approach to this medium

Wait a sec – We’re talking about Instagram, the platform where people upload pictures?

Tinder, on the other hand, is one of the most popular dating apps. So how is Instagram supposed to become the new Tinder when there’s no flirting feature or match-making at all? Is it even possible to meet someone through the social network and engage in some sort of online dating?

Instagram launched in 2010, giving its users a platform that focused entirely on uploading pictures. The company, which was bought by Facebook shortly thereafter, experienced a real boom and has attracted billions of users to date. Companies also quickly recognized the great marketing potential behind Instagram. Just use hashtags, cool pictures or videos, an appealing caption, and the target group jumps on.

The platform is one of the cornerstones for so-called creators and influencers who provide thousands of followers with content. Artists, companies, and private individuals have a common platform to network with each other and present and market themselves in a certain way.

And now Instagram is supposedly poaching users from ordinary dating apps?

Tinder had its release in 2012 and quickly skyrocketed to the pinnacle of dating apps. Millions of singles worldwide use the app to flirt, date, even get serious about a relationship. Filling out a profile, using search functions, swiping and contacting matches are the classic features for a dating portal or accompanying app. These all exist on Tinder and are specifically designed for dating.

So how can it be that Tinder is being displaced by Instagram in terms of online dating? After all, there are no search functions or algorithms on Instagram to help us find our dream partner. We only have the option of searching for users via hashtags, categories, pages or their name. But is this perhaps the very secret behind why Instagram is better than Tinder?

To get to the bottom of the matter, we looked at both apps from a dating perspective. To find out what we realized for ourselves as far as whether IG Dating is indeed the future, check out this article.

• Is Tinder losing popularity
• How Instagram dating works
• Tinder vs. Instagram

Is Tinder losing popularity?

How is it possible that the once exalted dating app has suddenly been ousted from its throne?

Anyone who has a Tinder love-hate relationship and deletes the app at intervals and then reinstalls it after a while quickly notices one thing: It's always the same singles who appear when we swipe.

We've probably already chatted with them or even had a date. There's no variety, and what's more, with this app you never really know if it's just someone looking for attention and recognition.

The app really tries everything to entertain its members. For a short time now, the Platinum membership has even given users the option of writing to contacts without a match. However, this does not change the fact that it is the same pool of singles. The only thing left to do is to expand the distance radius or the age range. But is that the right way to find your ideal partner? Besides, we're often dependent on meager profile information that doesn't make it easy to find the right conversation starters.

And on Instagram, things are different?

How Instagram dating works

As far as meager profile information goes, Instagram isn't much better. After all, the biography is limited to a small free text and does not include a profile with interests and hobbies. That said, the app as a whole is like a huge profile, when someone posts regularly or publishes stories.

We learn more about a person through user posts than through any information provided in the course of designing a profile. By using hashtags, which include cities, we can quickly find people in the immediate vicinity and see how they like to spend their time. Those who come from the creative field and are looking for like-minded people can also find them through hashtags and groups.

The advantages of Instagram in dating

Instagram is not a dating app and that takes a tremendous amount of pressure and stress off when using it. As soon as we fill out the profile on a dating app, expectations rise, we put pressure on ourselves and get in our own way. When we sign up on Instagram, by contrast, the focus is not on meeting someone to fall in love with. We simply want to make new acquaintances and meet people who have the same interests. This makes it more casual and, most importantly, leads us to present ourselves and behave much more authentically on Instagram.

Have you ever noticed that on both Tinder and other dating apps, you often read "Find me on Insta:..." in people’s profiles? Some apps even already have the feature built in for members to share their Instagram profiles in the app. Yet another sign that many singles are willing to talk on Insta rather than use dating apps.

And in terms of search functions, this social-network-in-pictures may also offer previously undreamed-of possibilities. Via hashtags, you can track down users from your own city or from certain areas, be it the search for people who are fans of a certain music genre or users who are interested in poetry. And when it comes to gathering information, posts on Instagram are a veritable goldmine. Images and their accompanying descriptions tell us everything we need to know in advance.

And if we run into familiar faces during our search, it’s not like we lose face. You're on Instagram, which doesn't explicitly indicate that you're looking for a partner.

Contact features on Instagram

Okay, there are no matches – but otherwise, the platform is in no way inferior to classic dating apps. Users can go live, reach a large target group with their posts, and within the chat function you have everything you need, be it classic messaging, sending voice messages or sending pictures. The senders can even decide for themselves whether the picture disappears again from the chat after being viewed.

The beauty of Instagram is that likes and comments under pictures are not directly seen as flirting attempts. We can simply draw attention to ourselves by interacting with the respective profile. There might be a small exchange within the comments and suddenly the symbol of a DM appears at the top right. This way, even shy singles can discreetly make contact and sound out the situation.

Tinder vs. Instagram

Now that we have put both apps under the microscope, we can draw up a direct comparison. But can this answer the question of whether Instagram is the new and even improved Tinder?

Dating on Tinder summarized

Sign up, create a profile, and swipe like crazy to score as many matches as possible. After an extended round of Tinder, however, that's it for potential dating partners. Even after a month of Tinder abstinence, the selection has not grown substantially. And the matches result in three chats that end up fizzling out again.

In order to write to members outside of matches, an update to a paid membership is required. Whether this also increases the chances of success, we’ll only know after we’ve tried it.

And in general, we always feel like we have to put ourselves out there when using the app. Even when we sign up, we have certain expectations. Using Tinder just for the fun of it? Hardly – there’s always an ulterior motive.

Dating on Instagram summarized

Sign up casually, write a short bio, and upload your first post. Starting from registration, getting started on Instagram is much more informal, because we’re not directly pursuing the goal of looking for a partner. As a result, we come across as much more authentic right away. No one expects us to make the first move and we can take our time. First we look for suitable hashtags and then start with the detective work. Posts and contributions reveal a lot about a user and provide us with all the desirable information – as long as the person is active on the platform and uploads new posts regularly.

Through interactions with a profile, we can draw attention to ourselves quite discreetly in the form of likes and comments. No one suspects that you have an eye on someone if you simply make a nice comment. However, this can result in the first contact and breaking the ice. If you then want to deepen the conversation, you can always reach for the DMs and write a nice message.

In conclusion

After our research, we really have to admit that Instagram delivers a high dating potential. It’s especially the fact that everything is more informal and therefore more authentic that makes it a big plus. There may not be any concrete search functions, but groups and hashtags make it easy to find the right users. On Tinder, on the other hand, we encounter the same faces even after months and only get a larger selection if we mess with either the age or the distance radius.

It is quite understandable that more and more singles also see Instagram as a way to find their soulmate. Where else can we find so many people who share our interests and with whom we can easily establish contact through comments?

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