Meet Tyler, the Lifelike Representation of a Serial Online Dater in 2050 

If you’ve ever wondered what years of endless swiping, ghosting, mixed signals, and ‘just one more match’ could do to a person…well, meet Tyler. 

With men accounting for the majority of dating app profiles – 75% on Tinder, 67% on Bumble, and 60% on Hinge – Tyler represents what an online serial dater could look like in 2050.  

Built using behavioral data from online dating apps and AI modeling, Tyler visualizes the physical and psychological toll of continuous modern online dating. 

What happened to Tyler? 

No, Tyler didn’t wake up like this. He didn’t have an all-nighter in Las Vegas. In fact, he got here one swipe at a time, repeated continuously, over the years. 

Late nights scrolling profiles. Squinting at blurry photos. Overthinking bios that reveal nothing. Decoding mixed signals. Taking dozen of selfies just to find the perfect angle. 

And doing it all again tomorrow.  

Over time, these habits added up and his body kept score.  

The science behind the swipes 

Hands

Severely curved fingers  

De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis (DQT), aka ‘Texting thumb’ 

Frequent scrolling and prolonged smartphone use in awkward hand positions can contribute to inflammation of the thumb and wrist. 

The Annals of Medicine & Surgery states: 

“Studies indicate that prolonged daily smartphone usage correlates with diminished grip strength, increased wrist pain, and a heightened risk of developing DQT.” 

Overdeveloped thumb (Chunky thumb) 

Thenar eminence hypertrophy  

Excessive swiping and texting can cause exertional muscle growth in the thumb due to overuse of the thenar muscles. 

Posture 

Hunched spine, curved neck 

Text Neck Syndrome 

Chronic forward-head posture caused by looking down at smartphones for extended periods. 

Researchers in the Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery note:   

“Among smartphone users, almost every time you will notice their cervical spine in a position of 15 to 60 degrees of flexion.” 

Uneven shoulder imbalance, chronically extended arm 

Dominant-limb hypertrophy 

Muscle imbalance resulting from repeatedly holding a phone, often while scrolling or taking selfies. 

Eyes 

Squinty eyes 

Orbicularis oculi muscle fatigue 

Excessive squinting from reading low-resolution bios and blurry profile photos leads to a permanently tired, overstimulated appearance. 

Ophthalmology researcher Irfan B Gunes notes: 

“Focusing on a digital screen for an extended period of time can cause the eyelids to squint… prolonged squinting of the eyelids during the day may result in fatigue and involuntary contractions of the orbicularis oculi muscle.” 

Dark circles 

Blue light-induced melatonin suppression 

Late-night swiping disrupts natural sleep cycles, reducing melatonin production and contributing to under-eye darkness. 

Face 

Anxious expression, tight jaw 

Choice overload theory 

Too many options create anxiety, indecision, and dissatisfaction. 

Psychology Today states: 

“When we are given more options, it can be difficult to evaluate each different one. It requires more time and cognitive effort. It also can lead to anxiety and worry about making an incorrect decision.” 

Wrinkles and saggy skin 

Cortisol-induced skin aging 

Prolonged elevated cortisol levels from stress, decoding mixed signals and eye-rolls can accelerate skin aging by breaking down essential proteins and increasing inflammation.  

Conclusion 

Tyler didn’t fail at dating. The dating apps failed Tyler. 

While these platforms aren’t intentionally designed to fail, their business models inevitably conflict with the goals of users like Tyler. Finding a life partner means leaving the app, while success for the platform depends on recurring engagement. 

Over time, this imbalance quietly incentivizes endless swiping and choice overload. 

Like Las Vegas, it starts out fun. But stay long enough, it takes a toll.  

Fair use 

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.  

For any press questions, please contact rhiannon.odonohoe[at]casino.org