We've all seen the commercials and the ads and maybe even downloaded the apps: Tinder, Bumble, OKCupid, Match, HER, Grindr, and a plethora of others. Internet dating has become an essential part of social media, but what makes it so compelling?
For the longest time, I was averse to dating apps. I downloaded Tinder, swiped left and right for about 10 people, and immediately deleted it. It seemed like too much of a game to me, which is exactly what the app was designed to be. That's why these apps are so easy to use: you make snap decisions about the person that's being presented to you on your small screen and if you get a match it feels like a prize or a reward. It seemed too superficial to me. Growing up, we are always told not to judge a book by its cover, but dating apps make us face a hard truth that we as a society are superficial. That's what makes dating apps a little unsettling to me: the idea of making an immediate decision on someone based on how they look.
Over the course of my life, I have been cautioned about what information I should put online and who I should be interacting with through the Internet. Parents often told cautionary tales to their kids about only friending people who they know online and now we all have access to a network of single strangers just sitting in our back pockets. It's both a blessing and a curse. I am sure that these sites have complicated security algorithms, but there are always the few that fall through the cracks. While I was swiping on Tinder, I felt uneasy that one of these people who I could potentially be matching with was not who they say they are. The show Catfish has blown up since it aired because it is so relatable. For every happy couple that has resulted from online dating, there is another person that has been tricked or even put in an unsafe situation because of who they "met" online.
Because of the world we live in, we want everything immediately, which is why these apps are so popular. With a swipe of your finger, you could be talking to someone who is five miles away and wants to meet you for coffee. I think this immediacy is an idea that people carry with them on the dates they go on. If the first date doesn't work out, in some cases within the first five minutes, then people can just move onto the next. It's as easy as whipping out your phone and opening an app. Who cares if this person doesn't work out? There are 100 more vying for your attention and they are only a swipe or a tap away.
I may have some reservations about meeting people through this medium, but that does not mean that they're all bad. There are people who have met the people that they married through Tinder and I know plenty of people who are in relationships because they met online. In 2017, online dating is arguably the easiest and most convenient way of meeting people. It may not be for me, but you can meet your soulmate by simply swiping right.
