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Sex app Tinder in public meltdown – because a journo dared suggest it was, well, a sex app

People ... using the internet ... to sleep with each other? Egad

Dating app developer Tinder went ballistic this week over the suggestion people might use it for facilitating casual sex.

The official Twitter feed for the swipe-for-sexytime appmaker became an angry rant platform Tuesday after a Vanity Fair writer had the gall to suggest that attractive young professionals are using Tinder to get laid.

The article, titled "Tinder and the Dawn of the Dating Apocalypse" paints a less than flattering picture of the dating app and the people who use it, suggesting many on Tinder are only interested in casual sex.

This, in turn, led someone in Tinder's public relations department to take exception and unleash the following screed:

Tinder then goes on to talk up the social importance of the app, including how it is used to circumvent dictatorial government regimes.

Tinder also took exception to the suggestion that many of its users were cheating spouses, an allegation made by writer Nancy Jo Sales.

Even before the Vanity Fair article went up, Tinder made an effort to shake the notion that it's just a "hookup" tool. The site's Twitter feed includes a number of posts showcasing couples who met on the site and later married.

Vanity Fair is not alone in bemoaning the Tinder "hookup culture." In May, officials in Rhode Island named the app as one of the reasons sexually transmitted disease cases were climbing in the state.

Tinder itself has not been without controversy. In 2014 a former vice president filed suit alleging sexual harassment. The suit was ultimately settled out of court.

In March of this year, Tinder hired new CEO Chris Payne to oversee day-to-day operations. Now it's rumored cofounder Sean Rad (we believe that is his real name) is back at the biz as CEO after he was fired from the startup last year.

A few months ago, parent company IAC said Tinder would be spun off as part of a new unit that includes fellow dating app Match.com. The spin-off company is set for an IPO later this year. ®

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