MY TINDER DATE DOESN’T
SEND PHOTOS. WHY NOT?

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If someone you meet on the internet is behaving strangely, it doesn't necessarily mean you've hit a red flag. But it's important to look at the situation critically, because if you're not careful, you could get into trouble. In the following points we've listed two possible outcomes: your tinder date may not want to send you pictures for simple reasons, or you're getting catfished.

Option 1 - Feeling of Inconvenience

The internet is a vast virtual space, full of excitement and adventure, but also, unfortunately, danger. Many people think twice before posting a picture of themselves as it can be way too personal, or simply don't post anything at all. It could even be your partner: they may be cautious about sharing personal information or photos with someone they just met online. Having privacy concerns is completely normal and acceptable, just as much as wanting to keep photos limited to certain people or platforms. They may be uncomfortable or self-conscious about her appearance and doesn't want to share photos. However, it is also possible that they don't have any recent photos of herself that she feels comfortable sharing. Communication is key - and some people do it better, some people find it harder. If you are confused by this situation, it's important to mention it to your partner, as honesty is essential for every relationship. Such a sensitive situation may also raise the possibility that your date isn't sending you pictures of themself because they may not be interested in pursuing a relationship or continuing the conversation, and therefore doesn't see the need to share photos. It's important to communicate openly and respectfully with your date about your concerns and expectations. However, it's also important to respect their boundaries and not pressure them to share anything they're not comfortable with. Ultimately, if the lack of photos is a dealbreaker for you, it's best to move on and find someone who is more aligned with your preferences.

Option 2 - Caught a Catfish!

Catfishing means pretending to be someone else to deceive someone into wanting a romantic relationship with the pretender. To this end, the catfisher generally uses made-up stories and fake photos to support their fake identity. The term originally comes from the early 1900s, when anglers used to ship catfish with codfish. Since the catfish is the natural enemy of the cod, it’d chase the fish around constantly, keeping it fresh, active, and better-tasting. Since digital catfishers also chase their victim, the term was adopted to describe them as well. Catfishing is a dangerous form of online deception where someone pretends to be a different person than they actually are. The goal is to make the victim fall in love with the catfish. Once the catfish obtains the victim’s trust, they might ask the victim for money. Catfish are very good at coming up with excuses to ask for “financial aid”, so be warned. Luckily, if you’re dealing with a catfish, there are often some signals that give this away. The list below contains common signs of catfishing.


Avoiding (video) calls and face-to-face meetings

No online presence

Very few friends or followers

A very recently created profile

Only using professional pictures Stolen pictures

Asking for money

Asking for explicit images or videos


Tinder is one of the biggest online dating platforms and by far the biggest one in the US. Therefore, it won’t come as a surprise that the “Tinder Catfish” is one of the most common species of catfish. It’s best to learn how to manage your privacy on Tinder to prevent opportunistic catfishers. Once the catfish has “matched with their victim,” they will message them and try to gain their trust. This is when the catfishing cycle begins. Fortunately, Tinder has recently announced they will soon require ID verification for all users. This should make it much more difficult for catfishers to find their “catch.” Although Tinder is where most of this happens, you can encounter this unpleasant situation anywhere else, like Facebook. Many of us have likely received a suspicious-looking friend request at one point or another. It’s best to ignore and delete these. After all, according to the Better Business Bureau, 85% of catfishing scams start on Facebook. The launch of Facebook Dating (in 2019) is likely to have increased this percentage. And of course we haven't even mentioned the other big fish; Instagram.. it's no stranger to profiles that (seemingly) belong to the rich, successful, and beautiful. Therefore, anyone can come into contact with someone that seems to be a little bit too good to be true and will eventually turn out to be a catfish. This is just one of many Instagram scams you should know about.

#THINK CRITICAL © is a social campaign created as part of a university project to raise awareness of the importance of objective decision-making and critical thinking.
The design was made at Media and Design Institue, Eger, 2023 (EKKE MDI) by Hajdu Boro.
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