If you are a college student, Tinder is no rare subject. The popular dating app can be seen on students' phones campus wide as young men and women are swiping left and right. If you are not familiar, the app allows users to adjust their settings to connect with men or women based on their location. Users will swipe right for people they show interest in and swipe left for people they want nothing to do with. All you can see is the user's selected photos, bio and how many miles away they are from your location. Once both users have swiped right, they have a chance to message each other. Tinder is a whole new world of dating. But, here are eight reasons why you should not use Tinder to find a relationship.
1. There is a reason this person is on Tinder.
People use dating websites for their person benefit whether it be for entertainment, to have fun or to attempt to find love. These differing types of people are mixed together in the pool of potential matches, making it difficult to figure out if the person you matched with is worth your time. Your match is on Tinder for a reason, as are you. But, this person could be on Tinder for reasons other than you are which will likely lead to disappointment and drama.
2. You can't judge a book by it's cover.
The idea of Tinder baffles me. People basically look at a person's chosen profile pictures and their bio to see if they want to swipe right for them. You are judging a person by their photograph and bio. All you know about this person is what they look like and what they choose to say. This is beyond shallow, in my eyes of course, and does not even begin to cover why you choose to date someone. I doubt you can see if someone is meant for you by simply looking at a selection of their best photographs.
3. It takes away the magic of dating.
Tinder takes away the magic of genuinely finding a person and falling in love with them. I repeat, Tinder takes away the magic of meeting someone naturally and falling in love with them. (APPLIES TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE USED TINDER). When you use Tinder, you meet people from swiping right, sharing taste in each other and agreeing to meet up after messaging. This is not natural in any aspect. When you use Tinder to meet people, meeting people in person becomes a little less magical because people would rather take the easy way out and do it online. It's sickening.
4. You do not know the person's intentions.
Is your "match" swiping for you because you have a big butt? Is this person interested in the fact you're talented at playing guitar or talented in bed? You have no idea until you talk to them. Or maybe, you won't even know then. You won't find out until you're stuck in a situation and you want out. He could want sexual relations and you could want dinner. She could want an evening under the covers and you could want to watch Netflix. You do not know until it becomes too late, sometimes. Tinder creates this misconception.
5. Unnatural first encounter = Necessary upkeep of relationship.
If you met your significant other on Tinder, that is not necessarily a bad thing. But, I am sure you found out more and more about this person you didn't know because they didn't put it in their Tinder bio, or told you. Meeting unnaturally means you likely have to try harder to upkeep the relationship. I'm sure everything was wonderful at first, but from experience, I've learned that you may think you know someone from their Tinder front and you realize slowly that you do not know who they are at all. Keep your guard up.
6. You feel slightly judged.
Imagine this: You meet someone on Tinder. You think they are the one. You fall for them hard and end up dating them. You tell people, and they automatically ask you how you two met. You say, "Oh, well we met on Tinder." The person's reaction changes without skipping a beat. They are either surprised, laughing or already doubting the future of the relationship. You feel either proud or embarrassed or a mix of both. It is odd. You are judged without being able to explain your intentions.
7. You will be disappointed.
This is an obvious point. If you go on the Tinder app with intention to find your prince charming, you will find yourself out of luck. Tinder is not necessarily used to find someone to date, especially in a college town. Most people use Tinder to find a person to hook up with. It's easy for those people. Hook ups blossom off Tinder. You see what you like and you make it happen. But if you go into this situation oblivious and hopeful, you will likely leave embarrassed and dumbfounded. Most people aren't looking for love, just a little sexual fun.
8. You will feel disrespected.
Going on Tinder may serve as a confidence booster, having the fact that you get to see if attractive people are interested in you, but you will feel extremely disrespected and uncomfortable within the first ten minutes of using the app. If you match with someone, they may message you a pick up line or unnecessary graphic remark about your looks or what they want to do to you. If you aren't interested the same way, they will likely destroy your self confidence and be a total jerk. I've personally received insults and jabs at my self confidence for not sharing an interest in having sex with a match. It makes you feel like you are nothing more than your looks.
All in all, Tinder can be great. You can have fun, of course. But, beware of the dangers that come along with expectations. Don't say I didn't warn you.
