Last winter, when my sister introduced me to a dating app called Tinder, I seriously questioned her sanity. Why did she, a pretty, socially adept girl, want an e-dating profile? She claimed that it was funny and entertaining, but I still made fun of her for having the app.
After the initial buzz about Tinder last January, I did not hear much about the app until last month. About a month ago, someone at Tulane told me they had been invited to a date party via Tinder. Tinder also played matchmaker for another one of my friends who found her current hookup using the app. Why the sudden prevalence of Tinder? Maybe articles posted about Olympic athletes use of Tinder during the Winter Olympics increased notoriety, or maybe people feel it’s about time to create a new social media profile. But honestly, I think Tinder has gained more notoriety recently because people finally view the application as a legitimate form of communication. Whatever the motive, Tinder usage has become much more common on Tulane’s campus.
After hearing seemingly all of campus discuss Tinder, I decided to give in and download the app myself. Hesitantly, I clicked the flame icon that introduced me to the world of online dating. Once I logged in with my Facebook account and set my preferences, I set off, swiping right to like and left if uninterested. After about five minutes, the methodical motion bored me, and I questioned why I was on a dating website, wasting my time away, judging people on their looks alone in my room. So, I turned my phone off and returned to reality.
A couple of minutes passed, and I decided to check my texts. I opened my lock screen and had about fifteen notifications from Tinder informing me that I had been “matched” with some people and that I also received a few messages from these interested suitors. Curiously, I opened the app to see my matches and their messages. None of the matches interested me, and the messages were all quite strange. One read, “How do you feel about quilts?” and another said, “Do you believe in love at first swipe?” Though I enjoy funny conversations (I found your rant about thread count quite entertaining, “Quilt Boy”), I just found the whole Tinder experience weird. Sure, I recognize the convenience of Tinder and I can’t lie that I enjoyed the confidence booster that came along with getting matches, but in the end, I just did not enjoy the concept of an e-dating site. Everything was very surface level and I did not enjoy talking one on one with complete strangers online. Of course, you subjectively judge someone when you meet a new person, but at least in non-digital life you know they’re an actual person, can get a feel for their personality, and see what the person looks like sans filter.
I kept the application for a few more hours, but my feelings about it didn’t change, and especially after seeing the app ate up my data, so I deleted it. Call me old fashioned, but I just don’t think online dating is for me, so I’ll stick to das Boot.