Tinder user stories and mental health – Sentiment and content analysis of app-stores reviews

BACKGROUND: Tinder stands out as the most widely used swipe-based dating application in Poland and globally. Studies suggest that it may have adverse effects on the mental health of certain users, such as depression, anxiety, or low self-esteem. This study employs a big data approach to delve into the app's ratings and reviews, aiming to identify potential mental health hazards. METHODS: Using AppFollow, we downloaded Polish-language reviews and ratings for the Tinder application from both App Store and Google Play stores. Sentiment analysis, provided by Common Language Resources & Technology Infrastructure (CLARIN-PL), was utilized to discern emotions expressed in the reviews. Subsequently, reviews with a rating of 1 were manually examined by psychiatrists to identify potential mental health hazards in user experiences. RESULTS: A total of 9,831 reviews were gathered from Google Play, and 397 from App Store. The average ratings were 2.67 and 2.71, respectively, on a 1-5 scale. Positive sentiment encompassed 7,578 words, while negative sentiment comprised 5,456 words. We pinpointed 16 reviews containing adverse mental health stories associated with Tinder use. Of these, six were linked to depression, six to low self-esteem, two to suicidal content, and two to harassment. Notably, none of these reviews received a response from the manufacturer. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight potential mental health risks for Tinder users. Although the overall prevalence of alarming content was relatively low in our study population, the app's low ratings and the abundance of negative messages in the sentiment analysis suggest that the actual scale of these issues might be more extensive. Further prospective studies at an individual level are warranted.