Hinge: A Form of Socially Constructed Technology

 In her book, Nancy Baym uses the term boundary objects to describe the capabilities of internet technologies. Social media platforms can be recognized as boundary objects, as they are existing technologies people modified the boundaries of. The wide range of social media platforms available today would not be possible without human influence. Humans have pushed the boundaries of social media to best fit society's needs. This concept of the boundary object calls attention to the social construction of technology (Baym, 2015). The needs of modern society have helped evolve technologies like social media to places we never imagined. Dating apps such as Hinge exemplify this concept of socially constructed technology. Social media originated as a way for people to interact with friends and family from remote locations. The creation of dating apps displays how humans would alter social media technologies so that users can have a romantic life from the comfort of their own homes. The initial capabilities of dating apps were fascinating to many single people as they would not have to rely on real-world interactions to find romantic partners. I believe that Hinge can also exemplify the evolution of dating apps. Apps such as Tinder have created a swipe culture in which users can find casual hookups with the swipe of a finger. Hinge has promoted their app as a return to traditional forms of online dating that emphasize the importance of a user’s personality.


Baym, N. (2015). Personal connections in the digital age (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Polity.

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