The times have changed! Getting in a stranger’s car to take you somewhere (Uber) and meeting someone online (Tinder) is no longer something that sounds strange. What’s even stranger is how much dating apps have normalized falling for a person’s looks instead of their personality.
Do you know how creepy it is to have someone direct message you on Instagram, or have someone hit on you when you’ve never had a single conversation with them in person? This guy only wanted to talk to me because of how I look, not because he knows anything about me.
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Dating Apps appear exciting at first. After all, they’re a new way to connect with people or possibly find your new significant other. Who wouldn’t want to join? Upload a few pictures, add a short bio, and with the click of a button, you’re connected to people one to fifty miles away from you. Swipe right for yes and left for no. So simple right?
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The truth is that dating apps were exciting for me during freshman year, but now as a junior, my feelings have changed. A dating app is the last app I want to download on my phone or have my pictures on.
After over a year of being on and off of dating apps, I have learned two things: everyone’s really on there for one specific reason and it leaves you with a false perception of attraction.
No matter what you write in your bio about how you’re NOT looking for a hookup or you’re looking for some type of relationship, it doesn’t matter. People will still swipe on you wanting the complete opposite of what you want. So if you’re going onto one of these dating apps (specifically Tinder) with a doe-eyed imagination of getting into a relationship, pop that bubble right now. Don’t go in with high expectations is all I’m saying.
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Second and probably the most important reason that one should break up with dating apps is the false perception of attraction that is created through these apps. We’re liking people for pictures on a screen instead of their personality. You’re solely looking for looks instead of what makes a person human: their personality. On a dating app, someone is putting up a few pictures of the best version of themselves to attract another person who knows nothing about them. You don’t know their likes or dislikes, flaws, and most importantly, anything about their personality. Furthermore, dating someone because of how they look is shallow. You should get to know someone and find out who they really are; that’s the beginning of a healthy relationship.