Feeling unlucky in love? Feeling bored? Feeling like you just want a little attention?
Want to meet new people? Want to see people you never thought you’d have to see again? Want to accidentally swipe away from the most perfect person, thereby losing them forever?
Want to match with the absolute bottom of the barrel? Want to question all your decisions? Want to make some more memories?
Look no further than Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, Facebook Dating, Duet, Wizz, OkCupid, Match, and the list goes on and on and on and on. And on and on. In our modern, technology-based society, dating has evolved alongside the ways we communicate. No longer are boys in letterman jackets offering their pins to girls. When was the last time you wrote a love letter?
With the advent of the cell phone and the internet, dating has become a location-based, app-driven powerhouse. But what’s good about the apps? Why have you only heard horror stories? Do people actually find love?
While I can’t speak definitively for all users everywhere, I can certainly share my experience. Shockingly, I have some information that might be useful. For a little background, I have exclusively used Tinder. Something about it seems so iconic, so quintessential in the dating app universe. I’ve matched with countless people, had text conversations with many, and gone out with a few.
What is good about the apps?
The ease of access is probably my favorite feature. There are so many people at the whim of your touchscreen. However, it can get overwhelming.
That’s why it is important to know what — specifically — you want. It will do you no good to get tangled up in a confusing web of short-term fun vs. a long-term partner. Go into the app with a clear head.
The most fun part is setting up your profile, in my opinion. You get to choose the cutest pictures of yourself, be as funny or as serious as you want in your prompt answers, and add anything you want!
What is necessary is knowing why you have the app. Are you looking for someone to spend your life with? A soul-crushing situationship? A hookup? A five-month relationship that ends mutually? Because if you don’t know what you want, you are going to get hurt.
Why have I only heard horror stories?
Probably because they’re funny. Drama sells, and things that are awkward or embarrassing gain more traction on the internet. For every dating app horror story, there is someone who met their husband or wife on the app. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.
It’s not that dating apps are all terrible, and it’s not that all people are weird. It’s about compatibility. If you are uncomfortable, don’t engage. It’s as easy as that.
Do people actually find love?
Of course! When you take it down to basics, dating apps are just a way to meet new people. We are an internet-based society; obviously, the methods have changed.
Some of your favorite celebrity couples may have even met on the apps: Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens on Raya, Laverne Cox and Ryan Draper on Tinder, Chrissy Metz and Bradley Collins on Bumble, Nick Kroll and Lily Kwong on Raya, Carrie Ann Inaba and Jesse Sloan on eHarmony, and Zohran Mamdani and Rama Duwaji on Hinge.
The biggest advice I can offer is not to take it too personally or seriously. Stay safe out there, but it’s just an easier way to meet people!
Don’t make it bigger than it is.
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