Hinge have used another negative story about hookup apps like Tinder to try and reaffirm their relationship-focused brand, and set themselves apart from their competition.
Recently, there was a widely-circulated report saying that STD rates in Rhode Island have skyrocketed, in part due to the increased use of dating and hookup apps.
From 2013 to 2014, the number of infectious syphilis cases in Rhode Island increased by 79%, and cases of gonorrhoea increased by 30%.
In addition to this, the number of newly-identified HIV cases increased by almost 33%.
And this increase is part of a national trend, according to the Department of Health, pushed by a growth in high-risk behaviours that include “using social media to arrange casual and often anonymous sexual encounters.”
In a blog post, Hinge posted a link to the “scary news” about hookup apps, and revealed some data about the intention of their members, saying:
“We surveyed 1,400 people about their intentions on Hinge, and below is the breakdown of responses. Hinge is primarily used by people looking for dating and relationships – not hookups.”
Last month, Hinge turned a story that 42% of Tinder users were in a relationship into a good bit of PR.
The New York-based app launched a feature that published the relationship status of their users – so if a user was listed as in a relationship, married or engaged on Facebook, it would show on their dating profile.
A week after turning on the feature, the company said around 450 men deleted their accounts.