I’m sure the majority of young people these days are guilty of having used Tinder at some point or another during their lives. However, how effective really is Tinder in accomplishing its description of being a ‘dating app?’ Thinking of the ways in which me and my friends have used it, I see it more as something you shamefully re-download once again when you have well and truly fallen into a pit of despair about your current relationship status – or lack of.
Admittedly it can be entertaining to swipe with friends and compare matches when you are really that bored; it’s all fun and games until you feel the stab of anxiety when faced with a photo of someone you have previously (and regrettably) hooked up with. What I guess I’m really trying to say is that I feel that the app really is pointless and how it’s merely adding fuel to the fire which is our generation’s world of dating.
I think what’s really the issue about it is how it separates us from the actual art of conversing, since it is so much easier to talk to someone from behind a screen. Due to modern technology, people are a lot lazier when it comes to socialising compared to our parents’ and grandparents’ generations, and this has had a domino effect onto the dating world.
What’s funny is, despite saying this, a vast number of Tinder conversations don’t start, or sometimes ever include actual words. There have been numerous times when a conversation has started or just consisted of GIFs. I’m all for a great GIF but how has it got to the point when that is all a conversation consists of, and what is the point in doing this? Is it fun? Will you actually speak for longer and maybe go on a date? Probably not, so what is our generation’s infatuation with Tinder and dating via social media when rarely anything comes of it?
The other frustrating thing about Tinder is how it sheds light on how sex-obsessed our generation really is. Drunk one-night stands are definitely acceptable, but the thought of a pre-meditated (even sober) hook up with some random guy off Tinder actually horrifies me. I’m sorry, but an alcohol-fuelled hook up has little gratification in itself let alone making the conscious decision to sleep with someone who has merely enticed you with a wink face or the ever-tragic aubergine Emoji.
At least when you’re out there’s time for some ‘in-club chemistry’, as bad as it may be. Boys; please take note that just because girls are on Tinder does not mean we are going to accept your invitation of an ‘adult sleepover’, as “tempting” as it may be…
Having said all this, the app is still on my phone despite the fact I rarely ever reply to any messages. I personally probably wouldn’t even go on a Tinder date because even the thought of a first date with someone I actually know is scary enough in itself. Many of my friends are in the same position, which begs the question of why we feel the need to have an app such as this lingering on our phones just in case the potential of a date appears?
Has it really become that hard to interact with people and ask for dates face-to-face, instead hiding behind screens? My thoughts come across as cynical, but I’m all for Tinder as an actual dating app – there’s a multitude of evidence to prove its success as such, but if I see another ‘what’s your Snapchat? ;)’ I might actually lose my mind, and ultimately faith, in this generation.
Oh I’m sorry – I thought I’d downloaded a dating app, not an app that offers one-time below par sexual gratification, followed by a swift cut of all communication; that’s my bad.
Edited by Angelica Beier
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