Is this hottie DTF or looking for a relationship?
It was a bachelor party in Arizona, where a group of friends were venting their frustrations while using Tinder. Sure there are those who use the app as a dating service, but some also use it for sex. Thus Mixxxer was born.
It’s not an app in the traditional sense. “We thought we’d do what Tinder did but avoid the app stores all together and follow our own rules,” says Mixxxer co-founder Michael Manes. “There is a huge appetite in the market for this and the app stores can’t cater to it. We’re one of the first to say okay, basically Mixxxer is a mobile website with the feel of an app. We went viral overnight.” [Editor’s note: IAC, which owns The Daily Beast, also owns Tinder.]
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Mixxxer matches people up for one thing: sex. Lest anyone be confused, the site clearly states: “This is not a dating app.”
Ten years ago the idea of finding a mate online meant window shopping on dating paysites, finding someone who seemed like a good match, and—if they’d also paid their monthly subscription dues—messaging until a spark ignited. Many of these dating sites existed to help two people find each other and build a relationship. Few bragged about online dating, often keeping the whole ordeal secret, as it reeked of dating desperation.
But it’s 2014. Welcome to the future, a future in which people live their lives via apps. Unlike the websites of old, dating or “hook-up” apps are considered cool and have quickly become a social norm. Through the help of clever design and marketing, people have embraced the attitude that there’s “nothing to be ashamed of here.”
This technology is designed more for the horny college student than the lonely-hearted seeking a lifelong relationship—simply swipe left or right to determine your interest in nearby prospects. But is dating à la carte a good thing?
Swipe, pass judgment, see who likes you and see if anyone likes you back. It’s become a game. And making that game mobile changed the landscape. It adds convenience with a dash of fun. Using apps to “date” is certifiably a pop culture hit. And according to a new Nielson report adults are accessing the Internet through their phones more now than ever before.
Sociologist Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals says smartphones not only offer a layer of privacy when it comes to dating but also appeal to newer generations. “We have become a gaming culture,” she says. “People who were maybe in their early to mid adolescence, ten or so years ago, are now in that prime dating, mid to late twenties, period and video games were such a big deal for them as kids. So making dating into a game is a very clever way of monetizing something that is a cultural phenomenon.”
But it’s no longer just dating. It’s about hooking-up.
Mixxxer allows users to send and share explicit photos to their heart’s content. If users want to send naughty photos with a veil of privacy, opt for the pixilated shower door filter. Over a 100,000 users signed up in the first eight weeks. The demand is high. Mixxxer isn’t exactly a new concept, but it’s straightforward unlike apps that have come before.
In 2009 Grindr debuted, a dating (or, really, hook-up) app geared towards gay, bi-sexual, and bi-curious men. Two years later Tinder launched, a matchmaking app for everyone. Sure there are a myriad of other dating apps out there, but Mixxxer is different. It doesn’t mince words. It’s not about dating, it’s about sex. Pure and simple. And while there are websites aimed at connecting people for sex, that doesn’t always translate well into the smartphone era.
“There’s definitely a gap in the market and we’re trying to fill that gap as best we can. We looked at some of the bigger guys like Adult Friend Finder and saw they were having trouble staying relevant in this new mobile landscape, they are kind of big and bulky,” says Manes.
All this makes finding a booty call easier than ever. It eliminates the work. You no longer have to charm someone, or buy them drinks while making idle chitchat, all you have to do is upload an attractive photo. It also takes the guesswork out of Tinder. Every Mixxxer user is there for the same thing. No egos to bruise, no worry about coming off like a horny insensitive person, you both know why you’re on Mixxxer. You just want to hook-up without the worry of commitment.
Tasha Reign, an award-winning porn star is an avid Tinder user though she doesn’t go by her stage name.
“I thought Mixxxer was an awesome idea because I’m on Tinder and I use it,” she says. “I actually meet up with people on Tinder, no joke, which is kind of crazy of me but I use my regular name and I put up candid regular shots, like nonsexual ones just kinda cute ones.” She says Tinder can be weird because you never know what people are really looking for. Mixxxer makes sense.
Keen on enjoying her youth, Reign has little interest in committing right now. “People in their early twenties are not ready to settle down,” she says. “People that I talk to are ready to start their careers and focus on themselves and just be twentysomethings.”
Which is exactly why a hook-up app is so appealing. It takes the seriousness out of dating and makes casual sex easier to find.
While it’s fairly easy to hook-up when you’re going to college and surrounded by peers, what do you when you’ve graduated? Hook-up with co-workers? It’s increasingly harder to meet people as you get older. But hook-up apps like Mixxxer change that, they keep the party going. And if you’d like that party to go all night long, just swipe right.
