Communication on Tinder Application : Self Presentation and Relationship Develop-ment

Abstract

        This research aimed to investigate Tinder application users’ self-presentation and their communication via the application to develop their relationship with their interlocutors. The research focused on a population who was Thai male and females aged 25-35 years with interest in the opposite sex, resided in Bangkok, and used Tinder application for at least 1 month. Through the purposive sampling method, quantitative data were obtained from 100 samples who completed an online questionnaire via Google Form. Qualitative data were obtained through in-depth interviews with ten key informants including four males, four females, and a couple who succeeded in love on Tinder application. Participant observation was also employed to explore features on Tinder application and to have conversations with other Tinder users in order to experience the real emotions and feelings and discover how Tinder users presented themselves and how they developed relationship with their interlocutors of the opposite sex on Tinder application. The result revealed that male and female users of Tinder conducted self-presentation through the use of symbols reflecting different identities. Through interchangeable roles and power, male and female Tinder users were found to develop relationship using different communication factors leading to a turning point in their relationship causing layers of relationship.