Why do we as millennials have a constant need to be always in contact with someone who could be a potential romantic partner? There are so many applications one can download on their smartphone that will ensure that they are never truly alone. I have downloaded a few of the meet and greet apps used for casual dating and meet ups to compare what’s the right app for you to download.
First, the one that most of you are probably more aware of is Tinder.
Tinder: This app allows people to judge superficially based off of 1-5 pictures of whichever sex they are looking to match with and a short bio, and occasionally a link to their Instagram account. It allows full creeping ability if that’s what you would rather do. You can swipe left or right on someone depending if you are interested or not. Once you’ve matched with them, you can begin a conversation. It is also friendly for those who are looking for same sex or opposite sex matches. It definitely has a stigma surrounding it as more of a ‘hook up’ app than for dating, although I do know some success stories through Tinder. There is also a feature where you can ‘superlike’ someone. This will show up on your daily swiping if someone happens to hit the star button, indicating a superlike.
I tried my hand at Tinder and found some entertaining results: some are nice, some are disturbing, and some are just amazing.
Bumble
Bumble is more catered towards the girl. I believe this is for the more serious woman who is tired of receiving cheesy pick-up lines and all around disturbing greetings. The kind of woman who uses bumble knows what she wants. Once you match with a man, you have twenty-four hours to start a conversation with them, or they are lost forever in the sea of virtual dating. This app is for you if you are an independent woman looking to make a change in the dating world and know exactly what you are looking for.
Next we have Coffee Meets Bagel.
Coffee Meets Bagel: This one is more of a mature dating application. You make a full profile including occupation, interests, personality traits, height, and religious beliefs. These are things that people who are very seriously interested in dating and starting a relationship would like to know. If you happen to pass on a ‘bagel’ (what they call your potential partner), you give feedback on why you passed on them, and then are given four other potential ‘bagels’ who you can spend ‘coffee beans’ on to like them. You gain coffee beans when you log on daily, hence Coffee Meets Bagel. If you do happen to match with someone, a chat room opens for six days to start a conversation.
Happn
This is an app that is based off of the location services in your smart phone. When you happen to be walking around the city you live in, you get a notification when someone else with the application also happens to be walking nearby. At the end of the day, you are presented with a list of potential partners of whichever sex you are interested in and can ‘like’ who you have crossed paths with. If you really like them based on the profile, which includes just photos and basic information, you can send them a charm. It also lets you know the date, time, and intersection that you were near this person. If you notice you are constantly in close range to someone, why not start up a conversation? To be honest, this app is mostly just entertaining to me, as it is more creepy than productive.
Ultimately, it depends what kind of woman you are and what kind of commitment you’re looking for. With this many options, women finally have a decent amount of control in this jungle of dating and hook ups. But who says you even need any of these apps?