Difference between revisions of "Bumble"

Revision as of 22:06, 22 April 2018

Bumble

"Bumble App on iPhone" text Type Mobile Dating Application, Social Networking Service Launch Date December 2014 Status Active Product Line Service Platform iPhone or Android Application Website Bumble Inc Official Website

Bumble is a free, location-based dating application that allows users of the application to swipe through the various profiles of other single users in the same location, swiping right if they are interested and left if they are not. ^[1] If two people swipe right on each other, indicating that they are both interested, then a match occurs. The application allows users to choose filters based on their sexual orientation. In heterosexual matches, women are required to initiate the conversation. This feature of the application was created to encourage women to make the first move when seeking a partner. ^[2] According to the Los Angeles Times, Bumble is considered a "Feminist Tinder" because of the requirement that women must start the conversation between themselves and their match. This is different from Tinder because most first messages are sent from men and can often be offensive. ^[3] In homosexual matches, either party can initiate a conversation. Once messaged, a match has 24 hours to reply until the original message disappears. Bumble aims to be a safer mobile dating application by requiring its users connect their Facebook account to their Bumble account.

History

Whitney Wolfe Herd created Bumble after leaving Tinder, which she also co-founded. Wolfe sued Tinder for sexual discrimination and sexual harassment and settled her lawsuit for over $1 million in September 2014. ^[4] Looking for a professional rebirth after receiving much backlash from her trial, Wolfe set out to create a woman-centric application where a woman could have the power to initiate a connection if she found one.

With the help of her co-founder and one of her biggest supporters during her trial, Andrey Andreev, former CEO of Badoo (a dating website with more than 250 million users), Bumble was created with the purpose of giving women the chance to make the first move and avoid any aggressive and raunchy pickup lines that Wolfe had personally witnessed while at Tinder. ^[4] The name of the app captures the female-centric organization of bee societies: a queen bee is in charge, and the rest of the colony works together to support her ^[5].

After recruiting two more Tinder cofounders, Chris Gulzcynski and Sarah Mick, Bumble was launched in 2014 and was marketed to young adults and college sororities. ^[6]. According to Business Insider, 60% of matches on Bumble are turned into conversations. Women feel more comfortable to start matches with people and men are not inclined to make the first move.

As of 2017, Bumble has more 20 million users worldwide, with more than 50,000 new members joining every day. It is worth more than $450 million and is growing exponentially. ^[7] As the application continues to grow, it disrupts common dating beliefs and places further emphasis on women in society and the importance of equal standards for men and women.

Screenshot of user interface

How Bumble Works

Bumble is a freemium app available for both IOS and Android. The app was first introduced to college campuses and was promised by developers to be a safer, more effective way of meeting young singles. In order to use the app, users are first required to log in to the app by connecting their Facebook profile. This allows users to gain access to photos and information on their Facebook profile. Bumble automatically pulls a user's name, age, and occupation from the connect Facebook profile to use for their Bumble profile. Users can finish crafting their profile by uploading up to five photos of themselves, writing a short biography, and connecting to their Spotify account. Bumble prides itself on being a safer dating application by being the first app that allows users to submit a photo to verify their account. Once a profile is created, the user is brought to a filter page where they can narrow down singles in their area by filtering based on different criteria such as age, gender, and distance.

The Free Version

When using the free version app, users can scroll through several profiles of different people in the distance they allotted, and swipe through photos in order to see what their potential match looks like. Users also have the option to "SuperSwipe" their matches which indicates to their potential match that they have an increased level of interest. ^[8]. Additionally, users have three chances per 24 hours to go back to the profile of someone they have swiped left on, which allows users to change their swipe decision if they so choose. Once a match is indicated in the heterosexual version, the woman has 24 hours to message her match. In matches where both users are the same gender, either user can message first. After the 24 hour time period expires, unanswered messages result in the match disappearing. Men and women have the option to increase the time on a match they are interested in by using the extend option, which extends the match and message by another 24 hours. The settings page allows users to change which gender they are interested in along with other features such as occupation and location^[9]

Bumble Boost: The Subscription Service

In August 2016, Bumble launched a subscription service - Bumble Boost- for $7.99/month. ^[10]. The subscription service adds three features: Beeline, Rematch, and BusyBee." Beeline will allow users to see an archived list of users that have already liked them. This allows the users to reconnect with past matches to spark conversation again. Rematch allows users to rematch with users that they did not message after 24 hours for an additional 24 hours. Busybee provides unlimited extensions the 24 hour timeframe, giving users unlimited time to message a match.

Users can also purchase Bumble Coins. Users can pay a fee of $1.99 per coin to buy a SuperSwipe. Users can SuperSwipe a person, which notifies that person that the user SuperSwiped his or her profile. ^[11]

Bumble Bizz and Bumble BFF

In addition to the standard dating use of the app, Bumble has released features that appeal to broader audiences. Bumble Bizz and Bumble BFF are two versions of the original app geared toward professional and social networking.

Bumble Bizz is designed for networking and mentoring. It takes on the same concept as the original dating version in which women are required to make the first move and message matches for professional connections. Bumble Bizz was designed in order to give women confidence in networking situations and take control of their professional lives. Users can submit their resume, skill section and examples of their work. Developers intended for this feature to help women network, not find find jobs. ^[12].

Bumble BFF is designed to allow users to meet other users of the same gender and develop friendships. This part of the app works in a similar way to the dating portion, except that either party can initiate conversation. Similar to Bumble Bizz, Bumble BFF allows users to interact with many people in a given amount of time. With the free flow of conversation between users, connections and friendships can be made easier and quicker. This application also provides the user with a biography of the other Bumble users and their location. ^[13]

Users

Bumble currently has over 22 million users as of November 2017. ^[14]. Females make up 55% of users and the most popular age range of users is between the ages of 18-25. The app has also been moderated so that obscure faces, mirror pictures, and gun pictures or other inappropriate pictures are banned from the app. This allows users to showcase their true identity and not deceive their potential matches. Bumble has more than 10 million matches and 800 billion swipes per month. ^[15]

Users with six of more pictures on their profile are more likely to receive a swipe right.^[16] Females on the app average about ten matches per month while males average about eight.

Ethical Implications

Authenticity

One of the main problems that Bumble users have experienced is the use of fake photographs in profiles. Deception is a problem for Bumble users because often times users are apprehensive to connect and meet with their matches because they are uncertain about whether the person in the pictures is really the person in real life. 54% of users of online dating apps believe they have encountered a profile with false information.^[17] Bumble is aware of this safety issue and introduced photo verification. The photo verification process involves a user taking a selfie based on a picture given by the application. These pictures are unique and involve a pose of some sort that a user has to imitate. Users cannot upload a photo for this step and as such, must take a selfie from inside of the app. This security measure verifies that the user is actually who they say they are and is not forcing a different identity on their account. A feature like this also ensures the validity of not only Bumble but the users interacting with the application. The picture is not displayed on the user's profile, but a symbol in the top left corner will appear to signify that the individual is a verified user. Bumble will verify users in seconds to make sure that their profile is efficiently verified. Although it is not required to verify an account, if a profile is reported as being fake, users must verify their profile within 7 days or their account will be deleted. ^[18] Security precautions like this one ensure Bumble users that their potential matches, networks, or friendships are real people who do not have the intention of representing a false digital version of themselves.

Safety

Safety has become a major concern when using online data apps, such as Bumble. Bumble users, especially women and LGBTQ+ members have felt unsafe using Bumble and other online dating apps. In fact, one third of users of online dating apps have reported feeling harassed or uncomfortable after an encounter on online data platforms.^[19] This online harassment can lead to unsafe behavior such as stalking and harassment in real life. In fact, the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) has reported that 'online dating-related rape have risen by more than 450 percent in six years'^[20] The NCA reported that these rapes usually occured during the users' first face-to-face meeting in real life. The NCA reports that "the number of reports of people raped during their first face-to-face meeting following initial contact online rose in the UK from 33 in 2009 to 184 in 2014" and "71 percent of alleged rapes that occurred on the first face-to-face meeting following online contact were committed at the victim's or offender's residence."^[21]

Privacy

When a user signs up for bumble they are required to provide their name, a username, an email address, mobile number, date of birth, sexual preference, photographs, location, and their Facebook account. The user also has the option to connect their Instagram and Spotify account. Privacy concerns have arose because of the connection that the Bumble application makes to a user's Facebook profile. Bumble extracts information such as, age, place of employment, education, common friends with other bumblers, from a users Facebook and makes these elements part of a users profile. It is possible that this is more information than a user desires to make public on their account. When users upload pictures of themselves to the platform, more personal information is made available to other users. While this is at the discretion of the user, pictures can expose location data and other private information.

Lawsuits

Tinder filed a lawsuit on March 16th claiming that the former Tinder employees stole trade secrets and violated patent laws in the creation of Bumble back in 2014. ^[22] One of the features Tinder claims was stolen is the backtrace feature, allowing users to go back to profiles they swiped left on. This lawsuit has instigated an ethical controversy surrounding the two dating applications and whether or not the lawsuit is an attempt to get Bumble to stop competing with Tinder. On March 29, 2018, Bumble initiated a lawsuit against the Match Group, the Tinder parent company, seeking 400 million dollars. This countersuit by Bumble is a retaliation to what the Bumble called a fraudulent campaign that the Match group started against Bumble after rejecting the Match Group's offers to invest in Bumble. ^[23]

References

1. ↑ “What Is Bumble & How's It Work? [Here's Bumble Explained!].” ViDA, 26 Jan. 2018, www.virtualdatingassistants.com/what-is-bumble.
2. ↑ Segel, Alison. “Why Women Should Always Make The First Move In Dating, According To Bumble's CEO.” Elite Daily, Elite Daily, 20 Mar. 2018, www.elitedaily.com/dating/women-bumble-dating/2003863.
3. ↑ Kelley, Sonaiya. “No Luck on Tinder? Here's What to Expect from Some of the Other Dating Apps.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2017, www.latimes.com/style/laaffairs/la-he-users-guide-dating-apps-20170209-story.html.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Garcia, Ahiza. “Bumble Founder Created the App after Experiencing Online Harassment.” CNNMoney, Cable News Network, 19 Sept. 2017, money.cnn.com/2017/09/14/technology/business/bumble-whitney-wolfe-fresh-money/index.html.
5. ↑ Zarinsky, Natasha. "Whitney Wolfe will get you a date." Esquire.com. Hearst Digital Media. 26 Nov. 2015, https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/sex/interviews/a39872/whitney-wolfe-bumble-2015-breakouts/
6. ↑ Shontell, Alyson. “What It's Like To Found A $750 Million Startup, Go Through A Sexual-Harassment Lawsuit, And Start All Over By Age 25.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 27 Jan. 2015, www.businessinsider.com/tinder-co-founder-whitney-wolfe-and-bumble-2015-1.
7. ↑ Flynn, Kerry. “Here's How Bumble Plans on Winning the Dating App Wars (and Why They Just Passed on $450M).” Mashable, Mashable, 24 Aug. 2017, mashable.com/2017/08/24/bumble-450-million-offer-match-group-decline/#UI1ER5Ot.Sqx.
8. ↑ Welch, Chris. “Bumble Copies Tinder's Super Like with New ‘SuperSwipe’ Feature.” The Verge, The Verge, 12 July 2017, www.theverge.com/2017/7/12/15961410/bumble-app-superswipe-super-like-new-feature.
9. ↑ Hartmans, Avery. “How to Use Bumble, the Women-Focused Dating App That Just Turned down a $450 Million Buyout Offer.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 25 Aug. 2017, www.businessinsider.com/bumble-dating-app-walkthrough-photos-2017-8.
10. ↑ Vincent, Brittany. “Bumble Is Adding Paid Features to Help Find Your Perfect Match.” Engadget, 15 Aug. 2016, www.engadget.com/2016/08/15/bumble-is-adding-paid-features-to-help-find-your-perfect-match/.
11. ↑ Hartmans, Avery. “How to Use Bumble, the Women-Focused Dating App That Just Turned down a $450 Million Buyout Offer.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 25 Aug. 2017, www.businessinsider.com/bumble-dating-app-walkthrough-photos-2017-8.
12. ↑ Lee, Dami. “Bumble Launches Bizz, a New Mode for Professional Networking.” The Verge, The Verge, 2 Oct. 2017, www.theverge.com/2017/10/2/16396502/bumble-bizz-networking-mentoring-dating-app.
13. ↑ Hartmans, Avery. “How to Use Bumble, the Women-Focused Dating App That Just Turned down a $450 Million Buyout Offer.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 25 Aug. 2017, www.businessinsider.com/bumble-dating-app-walkthrough-photos-2017-8.
14. ↑ O'Connor, Clare. “Billion-Dollar Bumble: How Whitney Wolfe Herd Built America's Fastest-Growing Dating App.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 17 Nov. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2017/11/14/billion-dollar-bumble-how-whitney-wolfe-herd-built-americas-fastest-growing-dating-app/#4c27661c248b.
15. ↑ Bennett, Jessica. “With Her Dating App, Women Are in Control.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 Mar. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/fashion/bumble-feminist-dating-app-whitney-wolfe.html?_r=1.
16. ↑ “Bumble Releases User Statistics for 2017.” Global Dating Insights, 22 Dec. 2017
17. ↑ Geld, Natalie. “The Science Behind Catfishing: How To Detect Fake Profiles and Create Real Connections.” The BeeHive, The BeeHive, 7 Sept. 2017, thebeehive.bumble.com/bumbleblog/the-science-behind-catfishing-how-to-detect-fake-profiles-and-create-real-connections.
18. ↑ Tepper, Fitz. “Bumble Will Soon Let Users Get Verified in an Effort to Squash Impersonators.” TechCrunch, TechCrunch, 22 Sept. 2016, techcrunch.com/2016/09/22/bumble-will-soon-let-users-get-verified-in-an-effort-to-squash-impersonators/.
19. ↑ Geld, Natalie. “The Science Behind Catfishing: How To Detect Fake Profiles and Create Real Connections.” The BeeHive, The BeeHive, 7 Sept. 2017, thebeehive.bumble.com/bumbleblog/the-science-behind-catfishing-how-to-detect-fake-profiles-and-create-real-connections.
20. ↑ Wells, Miriam. “Reports of Rape Linked to Online Dating Rise 450 Percent in Five Years.” VICE News, 8 Feb. 2016, news.vice.com/article/online-dating-rape-reports-rise-450-percent-in-five-years.
21. ↑ Wells, Miriam. “Reports of Rape Linked to Online Dating Rise 450 Percent in Five Years.” VICE News, 8 Feb. 2016, news.vice.com/article/online-dating-rape-reports-rise-450-percent-in-five-years.
22. ↑ O'Brien, Sara Ashley. “Tinder Sues Dating App Bumble.” CNNMoney, Cable News Network, 17 Mar. 2018, money.cnn.com/2018/03/17/technology/tinder-bumble-lawsuit/index.html.
23. ↑ O'Brien, Sara Ashley. “Bumble Is Suing Tinder's Owner for $400 Million.” CNNMoney, Cable News Network, 29 Mar. 2018, money.cnn.com/2018/03/29/technology/bumble-files-countersuit/index.html.