Twitter introduced the idea of verifying celebrities and other popular personalities so as to upset those of us hell bent on impersonating them. That worked and for a long time having that blue tick next to someone’s Twitter handle not only meant that it’s really them in all their celebrity status glory but it also became something to gloat over. So much that Facebook and later Instagram followed suit. Facebook has had verified pages and profiles for the last two years. Instagram has also been verifying users since December last year. Now, match-making application Tinder is doing the same.
Tinder has seen explosive growth since it came into existence. It is popular among the young for finding dates. While we may not have real world figures of how many of the 26 million matches made daily on Tinder actually translate into long term fulfilling relationships and not just casual flings, there’s cause to believe that the number of posers and bots on the service is also rising. What if you swipe right next time and your match turns out to be Kourtney Kardashian (she’s recently divorced so we figure she may be searching)? How do you figure out it’s really her? Or you’re a girl and you really need to find out if it’s our very own Eric Wainaina who’s your new match? Easy. There’ll be a small blue check mark, just like those you’re used to on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, to prove that’s it’s really Kourtney or Eric you’ve been matched with.
The feature is targeted at notable public figures, celebrities and athletes who are likely to be easy victims of impersonation. If you’re a girl and you’ve always dreamt of a royal wedding, technology may have provided that opportunity. Just swipe right and it may be Prince Harry who’s your new match.
