If you’re “single and ready to mingle,” under the age of 28 and not living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about the newest dating app for your mobile phone: Tinder.
The app is catered toward 20-somethings who can’t seem to find their Cinderella or Prince Charming at the local bar, and are much too “busy” to make an in-depth profile on Match.com.
Instead of spending countless hours honing your profile on an online dating site in hopes of meeting a life partner, young people are downloading Tinder for that instant gratification of making a match with someone equally as shallow.
This relatively new app for iPhone and Android users allows you to “swipe” through photos of strangers based off of one of their five profile pictures. A swipe left allows the user to dismiss the potential mate, while a swipe right means you “like” the person on your screen. If both users like each other, they receive a match notification that prompts them to engage in conversation, such as “Conversations don’t write themselves….”
Admittedly, there was a period of time where I had a Tinder account. I was bored, recently single and looking for male attention. After only a few short minutes of “Tindering” I started my left swipes. I continued with this left swiping routine for a good 20 minutes until it dawned on me that the likelihood of finding a match was damn near impossible. I began swiping right until I finally got a match. It was an embarrassingly pleasant feeling.
Perhaps the most ridiculously creepy way to meet singles in your area, Tinder capitalizes on GPS to track nearby matches within a 50 mile radius who are down to meet up seconds after viewing your photos and 150 character bio.
Allysen Geoffrey, 22, from Canton, Mich., downloaded the Tinder app after a close friend suggested it.
“I wasn’t looking for a companion at the time,” Geoffrey said. “I mostly started using Tinder to see what it was all about, and then it got really addicting in some sort of sick satisfaction that you could sort of, approve or deny men based on their looks.”
Tinder’s CEO, Sean Rad, introduced the mobile app as a way to create meaningful relationships, according to an interview he did for Gigaom.com.
Geoffrey, however, finds Tinder useful for temporary relationships only.
“I think websites like Match.com are more for serious people,” she said. “Tinder is free, and you know if you want to get drinks with someone within five minutes of meeting them.”
Don’t get me wrong, I do think online dating is great for the single and frustrated, but why are people swooning over a dating app that they know relies upon a certain level of deception?
Users are scanning through a conceivably infinite stream of selfies, all while deciphering whether or not the person in the picture is attractive enough to exchange words with. In other words, this is a plea to satisfy our pleasure-seeking selves.
Alaina Selvaggio, 22, from Chicago, doesn’t typically go on dates with men she meets on Tinder. Recently, though, she decided to give it a try and found it mildly disappointing.
“I met up with someone from Tinder last month, and it wasn’t the best,” Selvaggio said. “After talking via text for a couple of weeks, he told me on our first date that he was looking for no-strings-attached sex. I wasn’t expecting that type of bluntness.”
This modern day “hot or not” app makes me wonder if people are genuinely interested in creating meaningful relationships, or are merely addicted to the gratification they receive from denying 3’s and 4’s. Tinder is nothing more than an ego booster, and only functions well if you don’t take it too seriously. If you find yourself getting frustrated over the lack of meaningful relationships your Tinder is granting you, it’s time to increase your dating range from a 10 mile radius to a 50 mile radius (just kidding).
