BEYOND THE SWIPE: UNPACKING INDIAN WOMEN’S SAFETY STRATEGIES ON BUMBLE

Abstract

Bumble, a dating app that positions itself as feminist and safe for women in India, has failed to live up to its claims. Despite its promotion of a safety-by-design approach, users have not fully embraced the app's safety features. This suggests a lack of understanding of the cultural factors contributing to the risks associated with online dating in India. To investigate women's experiences with Bumble’s safety features and their efforts to ensure their own safety while using dating platforms, a semi-structured interview was conducted with 23 women who are Bumble users in India. The preliminary findings indicate that using Bumble requires additional “safety work” from women, who rely on support from their peer network to manage their safety. The notion of safety by design has been misleading, as power dynamics shift back to men after women make the first move. This study is important to understand how profit-driven platforms with neo-liberal agendas put women in danger within their local cultural context on the pretext of empowering them.