Over the past week I took it upon myself, as an extroverted single girl, to go and explore the realm that is online dating. We have surpassed computers and made it more accessible on the go with phone apps such as Tinder and it’s free (for the most part).
I made my Tinder account with no actual intention of dating or really even meeting in person any of the amazing people that I was able to talk to while using the app.
So I set up my account using pictures from my Facebook and other outings with friends that didn’t make me seem too much like a robot and I made my bio relating to my major. My bio read: “I’m a communications major so let’s communicate”, while also putting that I am a vegetarian and into the environment.
To get the ball rolling one of my close friends dared me to just swipe right for twenty-five people. I was surprised how many of the twenty-five matched with me, but never bothered to start a conversation with me
That was another thing I noticed while using the app, I was usually the one to start the conversation and in return I would get shocked reactions to me making the first move.
One of the good experiences I had while on Tinder was when I was able to talk to a guy about Aristotle and how religion has changed tenses since it originally developed. I actually got to know this guy and we never actually flirted. I talked to a couple other people and had the same experience; it was shocking to discover that most people on Tinder that I matched with were just looking for someone to talk to.
An account that was a part of the more humorous portion of my research week was listed as a lamp, like a literal lamp. I never knew that there were that many light puns and pickup lines until I swiped right. The account laid the compliments on thick and even countered to my lame environmental points.
Luckily I never matched with any strangers from my school, but I did end up matching with two of my friends. We both exchanged laughter and sarcastic pickup lines. The gifs that Tinder allows you to send made it hilarious to mess around with each other.
I did have a few experiences with guys trying to just get some action, but Tinder made it easy to simply unmatch with people and never have to talk to them again.
My overall reaction to Tinder is that it’s an okay platform to meet people without actually meeting someone. They have made it easy for hookups and casual conversations with no strings attached but overall I feel as if this app makes it easier for an individual to focus solely on outer appearances rather than inner. You have to judge whether you want to get to know someone based off of carefully selected photos on a screen before you have an actual conversation with them. Granted, this electronic platform has made it possible for many to meet someone and actually form relationships but in regards to myself…Tinder just isn’t my thing.