Men on Tinder expect casual sex to compensate for the 'breach of trust' when their date's appearance is less attractive than her profile photograph, say sociologists at the British Sociological Association's annual conference in Birmingham.

Dr Jenny van Hooff, senior lecturer in sociology at Manchester Metropolitan University, said, "Many of our respondents felt let down on meeting a woman and on feeling a visual representation hadn't been accurate. Some of our respondents felt that this breaking of trust was a license to use their date as they saw fit, thereby speeding up intimacy and undermining it at the same time."

She cited an anecdote of a 29-year-old man who told her, "I've been very misled by very selective pictures, angles when the person isn't as attractive or as slim or sporty as they make out on pictures. I try to swerve if possible, or get something out of it."

Another anecdote was a 37-year-old man who said, "'I am looking for a long term relationship, but you know within seconds of meeting someone whether that's going to happen. So now, I think if there's a chance of a shag I'll take it. Lots of girls put 'no one-night stands' on their profiles, but they still end up having them. Tinder has really toughened me up."

The goal was to find out how Tinder affected the nature of our participants' relationships and intimacies, they said, and to affirm their belief that the self-promotion encouraged by digital culture appears to undermine authenticity in romantic encounters, often leading to disappointment in participants' experiences.

"Everyone sees themselves as behaving honestly, while presenting a best possible branded version of themselves. Yet many of our respondents felt let down on meeting a woman and on feeling a visual representation hadn't been accurate. One respondent reported meeting a date who appeared to be 20 years older than her online self. Computer communication enhances the ability to selectively self-present through an increased ability to control the signs given off, allowing the presentation of a carefully crafted, edited impression. Men interviewed feel betrayed, although of course they engage in this as well.

"We explored whether the choice of dating apps implies changes the dating experience. Some research has suggested that online dating has led to new kinds of freedoms and equalities, and although we found evidence of a casualization of relationships, traditionally gendered scripts can still be said to predominate interactions, both on and offline."

The researchers found that Tinder and other dating apps had "commodified" relationships at the same time as making them more available. This could be liberating for men, but also make them feel vulnerable about how attractive and successful they were with women.

"The ready access of potential matches intensified feelings, so that on meeting a connection is already established, however this also makes it more disposable, with relationships being ended quickly with little or no explanation - with Tinder, intimacy is speeded up, as one participant claimed. The research found that in many respects dating apps appear to accentuate traditionally gendered norms, rather than providing a space that's removed from wider gender inequalities."