Interview Summary — D

1. Motivation & App Choice

• Initial discovery: Heard about the app Summer during the pandemic — a college student–exclusive dating app that required student ID verification.
• Motivation: Boredom and lack of social contact during lockdown; later used Bumble during internship for similar reasons.
• Both moments (pandemic + internship) were times of social isolation, leading to the use of apps for companionship rather than romance.
• Acknowledges being open to short-term sexual relationships, but not actively pursuing them.
• Views dating apps primarily as tools for passing time and filling social gaps, not as reliable ways to find long-term partners.

2. Use Patterns

• Typically uses the app about 10 minutes a day, mostly before sleeping.
• Uses simple filters: female, ages 18–26.
• Rarely meets people offline; most interactions stay online.
• The app experience feels cyclical and unmemorable—scroll, swipe, brief chatting, then boredom.
• Describes the process as something that leads to temporary amusement but emotional flatness.

3. Perception of Platforms & Algorithms

• Summer felt youthful and energetic at first but quickly “died out.”
• Bumble has older users, broader diversity, and a more overtly sexual (“YP”) atmosphere.
• Believes app algorithms only partially recommend fitting types; attributes mismatch more to personal taste and dominance of “non-mainstream” users on the app.
• Defines “non-mainstream” as body types, foreign users, or fashion styles that differ from everyday norms.