There seems to be a craze dominating the online dating world, and it goes by the name of Tinder. This dating/sex/hook-up app has been getting so much hype that I had to give it a try myself. I have to admit: I was amused for a good two hours swiping left and right and reading the interesting “About Me” sections of various guys on the app. Pretty soon, I had 53 matches, and all I could think was, “Wow, I have no life.” After a couple days, I decided to put out that flame, but not before I had these five realizations about Tinder:
Truth #1: There’s room for more than just hooking up.
There are people on the app who are probably only interested in sleeping with you, but this isn’t always the case. The outcome is partially up to you because it’s all about how you present yourself and carry conversations with your matches. “I’m actually trying to find someone worth getting to know,” said 22-year-old Dan H. “I’m not interested in hooking up. I’ve heard of couples who have met on Tinder, and I want to see if I get lucky and find someone, too.”
Truth #2: This is an opportunity to get “cat-fished.”
Just like any other social media platform, there may be people out there who are not using their real picture. There’s also the chance of these people not telling the truth on their profile, so be cautious and use your discretion. “I met a guy on Tinder, and we were talking for like three months. When we finally became Facebook friends, I realized it wasn’t a real profile,” said Emily, a former Tinder user. “I could just tell it was a fake profile, and I was so upset that I spent so much time talking to him. I’m staying off of Tinder for a while.”
Truth #3: You can use it for vital information about a guy
Tinder is the perfect app to dig for information about a guy you may be interested in. This app not only shows you shared interests, but it also shows one very important piece of information: shared friends. If one of your friends is a mutual friend with someone you saw on Tinder, this may be the perfect opportunity for you to find out more about them and maybe even make a move.
Truth #4: You will encounter creeps
“I had a match with a guy, and after only being matched for about 15 minutes, I already had a friend request on Facebook,” said Alana, a freshman Tinder user. “The creepy thing is we didn’t have any mutual friends.” The intensity of creepiness varies, but if you do encounter this, there’s an option for you to block the person from contacting you. Remember to be safe with what you are displaying in your “About Me” section.
Truth #5: It can be a shallow app
“You really can’t be an ugly person and go on Tinder,” said Julia, a junior studying advertising. “I know it sounds mean, but you’re going to get nexted. It’s really superficial.” As horrible as that sounds, think about it. The person you swiped away could have had an amazing personality or sense of humor. With Tinder, you’re solely choosing people based on physical attraction, but there’s so much more that should be considered.
Knowing these truths about this popular app, proceed with caution, collegiettes™. If you ever feel uncomfortable or receive a friend request from someone you honestly don’t know, then play it safe and avoid it. But if you play your cards right, there could be a great guy out there just waiting for you to come across his profile and swipe right!