This Is The True Meaning Behind The Word 'Hey' On Tinder

This Is Why You Shouldn’t Start Your Conversations On Tinder With ‘Hey’

Tinder's got a brand new podcast to teach you the ways of online love...

If you’re single, it’s likely you’ve swiped away on Tinder before. In fact, nearly 1 in 10 young Australian singles are using the app regularly according to Roy Morgan research from last year.

But Tinder wants people to think about the way they’re using the app, so they’ve created a brand new podcast in collaboration with Gimlet Creative to investigate the ins and outs of online dating.

The new podcast is called ‘Define The Relationship‘ and hosted by Jane Marie of This American Life, and has already covered topics such as opening lines and how people really react to ‘dick pics’.

In the first episode, Jane Marie took a deep dive into the real meaning behind the word ‘hey’, and found that about a hundred million messages on Tinder start with the word ‘hey’.

She discussed why these conversations can often fail, talking to users, and the main reason that came up was that it is a lazy way to start a conversation, and implies that you haven’t read the other person’s profile.

One user, Michelle, explained why she used to hate the word ‘hey’ as an opener.

“I would always be like, ok, he’s sending a million people messages and just wants to put in the minimum amount of effort.”

However, when looking at the alternatives, ‘hey’ doesn’t seem so bad. It’s becoming common practice for men to use joke openers, such as ‘Is this how we’re going to tell our kids that we first met’ or ‘Is this our first fight?’. And starting with ‘hey’ is sometimes just a good base to go off.

Jane Marie even spoke to the Editorial Director of Giphy, Tyler Menzel, who explained how gifs can give a unique take on a ‘hey’. He thinks ‘hey’ is a necessary evil, but sometimes people are stuck, and need a funnier way to say hello, such as this cute little whale gif.