Women Utilize Tinder to Increase their Instagram Followers by Lisa
During his usual morning commute, Ben found himself browsing through Tinder. He stumbled upon a profile of a woman who, in his words, was a “perfect ten”.
“She had a pet dog, seemed to enjoy a good drink, and had a ‘girl next door’ aura about her,” he shares. “To my astonishment, we matched instantly. I initiated the conversation by complimenting her adorable dog and asking the usual questions about its age and name.”
Ben, who prefers to remain anonymous, reveals that he spent the rest of the day engrossed in conversation with this woman. That evening, she requested him to follow her on Instagram, which he did without giving it much thought. ”I followed her, liked a few of her posts, and then she went silent for the rest of the night,” he says. “I texted her the next day but received no reply.”
Ben initially didn’t find this alarming, attributing it to her possibly being busy. “However, later that day, while showing a colleague her Instagram photo, it hit me,” he admits. “All the likes on her photos were from men, and there was no public interaction with those commenting on her posts. We never spoke again.”
Ben’s experience is not unique but rather a common strategy employed on Tinder. A quick search on Twitter reveals many men sharing similar experiences. “Girls on Tinder checklist… ‘Follow me on Instagram, I’m not on here that much'” tweeted one user. “Tinder has changed. Girls just use it to promote their Instagram,” posted another. “I’m new to Tinder, and it seems girls just want me to follow them on Instagram,” shared another user. “Attractive girls on Tinder… just want Instagram followers,” another user lamented.
These men are highlighting a predominantly female strategy of using Tinder solely to increase their social media following. This trend, they claim, has become inescapable on the app in recent months. “I see it on eight out of ten profiles,” says Liam, a 26-year-old from Wales. “I’ve noticed an increasing number of matches with girls who only have their Instagram username in their bio,” Ben concurs. “That’s all there is.”
For many male users, this trend is making navigating Tinder even more challenging than before. They often feel the need to scrutinize a person’s profile to decipher their true intentions on the app. Despite many men on Tinder believing they can spot these signs, women continue to amass significant follower counts, capitalizing on men who fall for the bait.