Previous studies have shown that companies behind applications and websites are using strategic ways of manipulating and misleading their users, often through interface and design. This behavior is described in terms of dark patterns. The main reason for these deceptive ways is to trick users into doing things they may not intended to do from the beginning, for example sharing of personal data and exposing more of their privacy than what is needed for the purpose of the service. Dating through different applications has become a more common way to find love. What these apps usually have in common is the need for gathering personal data from their uses, and in many cases this includes sensitive personal data like sexual orientation. Because of this, the purpose of the study was to examine whether dating apps care for their user’s integrity or also use suspect ways to manipulate through structure, design and content. Five of the most used dating apps in Sweden were observed through a qualitative content analysis with a focus on aspects that are relevant in information architecture. The results showed that all of the apps were using design in manipulative ways and two of them even made it impossible to quit the account after registration. These discoveries really raises questions about whether it is ethical of companies to work in this way and if they care more about their own gain than their users’ integrity.

Intima relationer sker nu ofta via mobila dejtingappar, vilket kräver att människor navigerar i ny teknologi, men det möjliggör även för utforskning av intimitet. Ett exempel på detta är hur Tinder, en av de mest populära applikationerna för dejting, har blivit en representation för nätdejting i vardagliga konversationer på 2000-talet. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur Tinders sociotekniska struktur ser ut och hur användare uppfattar applikationens struktur och design. Studien använder en kvantitativ forskningsstrategi i form av enkäter följt av en genomgångsmetod för att observera applikationens struktur, funktioner och design. Enkäten fick totalt 102 svar. Utifrån studiens resultat och analys kan det stora användandet av applikationen bero på två faktorer. Det första är hur applikationens struktur och design är uppbyggd. Tinder har (1) underlättat den sociala interaktionen med hjälp av dess kärnfunktioner, (2) använder färre element som leder till snabba beslutstagande och (3) anpassat applikationen utifrån spelliknande egenskaper. Utifrån resultatet av datainsamligen kan det indikera att Tinders anpassning till plattformisering och Web 2.0 haft en påverkan på hur användare upplever hur social interaktion ska ske och därigenom påverka hur interaktioner skapas och relationer byggs. / Intimate relationships take place on mobile dating apps, requiring people to navigate new technology, but also the opportunity for exploration of intimacy. An example of this is how Tinder, one of the most popular applications for dating, has become a representation for online dating in everyday conversations in the 21st century. The aim of this study is to investigate the sociotechnical structure of Tinder and how users perceive the structure and design of the application. The study uses a quantitative research strategy in the form of surveys followed by a walkthrough method to observe the application's structure, features and design. The survey received a total of 102 responses. Based on the results and analysis of the study, the high usage of the application may be due to two factors. The first is the structure and design of the application. Tinder has (1) facilitated social interaction through its core features, (2) used fewer elements that lead to quick decision-making, and (3) adapted the application based on game-like features. Based on the results of the data collection, it may indicate that Tinder's adaptation to platforming and Web 2.0 has had an impact on how users perceive social interaction to occur, thereby influencing how interactions are created and relationships are built.