Key Takeaways
- A new study finds that Black women are undervalued and excluded on some modern dating apps.
- Algorithms created by majority groups tend to reflect their own biases, overlooking the needs and experiences of other demographics.
- Dating apps can address these biases by prioritizing diverse viewpoints and innovating with equality at the forefront.
A new study from the University of Michigan highlights how dating apps often undervalue Black female users, leading to biased algorithms and, ultimately, disengagement from a critical demographic base.
The researchers — Jasmine Banks, Mel Monier, and Ariana Samuel — conducted 20 in-depth interviews with Black women online daters. Dating apps can conjure feelings of inadequacy and insecurity among anyone of any race, but what about demographics that already contend with racism, sexism, biased beauty standards, and a resulting lack of opportunity?
Some of the Black women interviewed for the study echoed these concerns. “The pursuit of Black romantic relationships in online spaces is often shaped by misogynoir, racial fetishization, and microaggressions, making the experience both alienating and affirming,” Banks, Monier, and Samuel emphasized in the study.
The researchers described how one participant said “being a Black woman specifically plays a significant role in her online dating experience” in that dating app algorithms aren’t always designed to reflect her desirability or even her visibility on the app.
When dating apps prioritize engagement over equality, valuable demographics end up falling by the wayside. (It’s worth noting that, in 2020, 47% of Black adults reported being single to Pew Research). Undervalued groups are more likely to disengage from the app entirely.
Algorithms Are Part of the Problem — and the Solution
It’s not that dating apps aren’t aware of the challenges its users face. It’s that those challenges are often seen through a majority lens, not through the lens of a demographic with unique needs and perspectives.
“Many express doubts about whether Black love is truly possible in spaces designed to marginalize them,” Banks, Monier, and Samuel wrote.
Algorithms are a substantial part of the problem, according to the researchers. “Studies have already shown us that algorithms are not neutral,” Monier told The Michigan Daily.
Too often, algorithms solely reflect the perspectives of the people who designed them, which greatly narrows their scope.
Algorithms are meant to streamline searches and provide personalized, highly-specific profile suggestions that fit each user’s unique needs. However, an algorithm’s scope can be a little too narrow if it’s consistently designed by one type of person with one type of viewpoint.
Who designs an app’s algorithm matters, especially if those responsibilities tend to fall to people in the same demographic. “When you have a tech field that centers whiteness and masculinity, then the products that are made inherently also center whiteness and masculinity,” Monier said.
Implicit bias is to be expected, but that doesn’t mean it should be accepted. “[Algorithms] are (made of) a reflection of the society that creates them and they’re made by humans, and humans are inherently biased,” Monier added.
Companies can combat unintentional bias by putting people from historically underrepresented groups in positions of power and leadership. If a dating app is struggling to connect with a Black audience, it may be because a non-Black team is the only perspective being considered.
“This research provides a critical lens into how algorithmic matchmaking does more than connect,” the researchers wrote. “It governs, structures, and limits Black romantic experiences.”
Black Women On Dating Apps Are Calling for Authentic Equality
The Black women who participated in the study made it clear that dating apps shouldn’t offer mere lip-service. They called for what The Michigan Daily referred to as “a critical reevaluation of digital dating platforms that prioritize equity and inclusivity.”
In other words, if an app claims to value Black women’s voices, then it should put its money where its mouth is.
App owners aren’t always keen on redesigning their platforms, but Monier pointed out that safety and inclusivity are worthy reasons to do so. “Making the app safer for Black women makes the app safer for everybody, makes it easier to use for everybody, makes it more enjoyable for everybody,” she said.
Dating apps like BLK, BlackPeopleMeet, and CarpeDM continue to attract users in the niche dating space, sending a clear call to action to dating app developers:
Here is an opportunity to innovate with equality at the forefront, to implement cutting-edge app features that speak to diverse perspectives, and to finally acknowledge the power that Black female singles have in the online dating space.
