You would have to be living under a rock to not know what Tinder is. More than likely, you have known a handful of people with a Tinder or even had one yourself. Of all the dating apps to have, this one has been the most successful.
But what is the deal with Tinder? It seems to be a lazy way of dating or looking for a quick hook-up if you ask most people, but still people have it downloaded on their phones no matter how often they use it. Some people use the app to find a date, some to make friends in a new area, and some just because they find it entertaining. Like most things in life, Tinder has both a list of pros and cons.
Some might be surprised that Tinder actually has something to offer, since the app is heavily made fun of for being a gathering ground for “fuckboys” and couples looking for threesomes. But alas, there is a handful of positive outcomes from the notorious dating app that might convince you to get one.
Tinder is actually a decent place to make friends, whether you are new to an area or just hanging around a large school. If you match with someone and have a good conversation, it might be the start of a pretty great friendship. Seeing them around campus wouldn’t be awkward and you might even get to experience new or local places you wouldn’t have thought to go yourself. Using Tinder is easy and doesn’t require you putting on pants (at least to begin with); It could work out in your favor.
Besides making friends, I know a handful of people who have met their current boyfriend/girlfriend/significant other on Tinder. Most people think the app is just for hooking up, but that isn’t always the case. Many couples meet through dating sites and apps these days and their relationships are just as successful as couples who met the “traditional” way, whatever that means. Just because you and your partner met in a new, or different way, doesn’t mean that your relationship means anything less.
Tinder is an entertaining way to waste time. With the new GIF board the app has installed, you don’t even have to talk to someone; you can communicate solely through gifs, which is vastly entertaining if you’re anything like me. It’s an easy way to communicate and it takes the pressure off of traditional dating.
If you’re conversation on Tinder flows well enough with a person and you decide to meet with someone in person then that’s fantastic! At least you didn’t have the awkward pressure of walking across the bar to ask a stranger for their number. In turn, this also makes rejection easier. Most people get anxiety about turning down someone who asks for their number or hurting someone’s feelings on a date, with Tinder you can easily say “Hey, I don’t really want to give you my number”. Then they unmatch you and that’s the end of that, no mess and there is no way they can make a huge scene about it.
Now there is also a handful of pretty bad experiences you can have with Tinder. The app isn’t fool-proof and no one is guaranteed to find their next boyfriend/girlfriend, so these are some issues you might have to deal with while swiping through the app.
Tinder can get really awkward, really fast. For example, what if you match with that kid you’ve always thought was cute but never talked to in class (of course you swiped right for them) and they message you first? It sounds exciting because now maybe you’ll have an excuse to talk them! Wrong, they might only talk to you on the app and readily ignore you in class, acting as if they don’t know you exist. If you finally work up the nerves to approach them, they’ll quickly look busy and leave…and then hit you up on the app 30 minutes later as if nothing happened. That’s when you quit responding and move on.
With the rise of social media and Tinder, the rise of ghosting came with it. Even if you don’t know what ghosting is, odds are you’ve done it or experience it. Ghosting is when someone suddenly stops talking to you, not a text, message or snapchat. You might try to talk to them but they don’t respond until you finally give up. Ghosting keeps people from communicating and dealing with things and Tinder makes ghosting almost the go-to way to end conversations.
Most people believe Tinder is strictly used for hooking up, and for some people it is. With the rise of “hook-up culture” and casual sex, Tinder has been there to help. While there is nothing wrong with making your own choices with your body, people are often forgetting about their safety. When you meet someone on Tinder you may not know their entire history, so always be safe and get tested, that way you can avoid these problems with the app.
Tinder makes dating easy, but it can also take the humanity out of it. With the app, you are constantly talking to someone through a screen, and not always face-to-face. Constant screen time makes it feel like you know the person really well, but could create awkwardness and real problems when communicating face-to-face. You swipe right for people you find cute and left for those you don’t. You judge people when you see them in person, but being online and on Tinder make that shallowness even more evident.
People claim our generation has lost “the romance” and don’t really know how to date; and many people blame dating apps for this issue.
Every generation dates and meets people differently, and this is just a new way we are getting connected with people around us. When it comes to Tinder and other dating apps, they really are what you make it. If you just want to find friends, you can find friends. If you’re looking for dates or hook-ups, you can find both. All in all, the app is what you make it, and as long as you’re being safe and making smart decisions for yourself, then you’ll get what you want out of it.