You’ve seen it, you’ve heard about it, your probably subscribing to it, so let’s talk about Tinder. A simple idea turned into a revolutionary application for mobile phones that allows individuals to essentially scan an area for other single people. When first introduced to the idea, all that I could imagine was a middle man for those looking for a night of fun, and the occasional romance story - oh how wrong I was.
According to the PEW Research center: “5 percent of Americans who are currently married or in a long term relationship, met their partner somewhere online. Among those who have been together for 10 years or less, 11 percent met online.” Obviously the influx from the more recent relationships is due to the fact that online dating hasn’t been around for quite that long, in fact, Match.com has recently celebrated it’s 20 year anniversary as the first online dating site.
What sets tinder apart from other online methods is the specificity to the mobile device. By focusing on the use of an object that holds such importance and value to the current generation, tinder has exposed the most technologically advanced group of individuals a simple and quick way of finding each other. For those unfamiliar, tinder allows the individual to pass swift judgement on an individual based on images that they chose to post. Settings allow the user to alter the vicinity in which a match can be made, and by swiping left or right, you are essentially giving a yes/no answer, and if the same answer is reciprocated, then it’s a “match”. When matched, individuals can message each other, and assuming things go well, meet up. What once was as process of gathering courage to approach a stranger, not fumbling words, getting either a cell number or asking them out directly, has been simplified into moving your thumb.
Obviously there are some initial issues recognized with the system itself. The most prominent that I’ve heard is the lack of body language and physical interaction when meeting with a new person. You’re somewhat nervous, maybe a little shaky, this requires a stark level of gait to walk up to a stranger because you think they look nice. I like to lump this into the category of, “Just because it’s old, doesn’t mean it’s good.” As a college age male, there are few things I find more difficult than having to introduce and then talk to a girl I find attractive. With the advent of tinder, the idea that I may do something stupid or say something that would end up with me getting hit, goes out the window.
First off, any conversation started is based on the idea that the other person finds me attractive, which is generally conducive to a more beneficial time, as opposed to walking away and thinking, “I probably should have shaved before I went out.” Secondly, the great part about messaging someone is that you have a moment to look it over. If a risky message gets typed up, there isn’t a gun to my head preventing me from altering it. As a final plus to using the application, tinder seems to be the perfect embodiment of the phrase, “There are plenty of fish in the sea.” If a situation seems to go well and rejection finds its way into your life, there’s about a billion other matches waiting. Tinder has proven to be a medium that’s almost like a hot or not list, but instead of just letting somebody know you think they look good in a photo, you can see if they’d like to grab drinks next week.
As with any form of success, there are those that criticize. Vanity Fair recently published an article comparing tinder to the “Dating Apocalypse.” The article discusses the fact that mobile dating exposes more of a hook-up culture rather than a romantic culture, and from a brief viewpoint I like to think that everybody sees that. Aziz Ansari has a bit discussing online dating in which he says: “Online dating is like going into a bar and having superpowers... Let’s eliminate all of the other dudes, um and let’s eliminate women already in relationships … You can’t do that in the real world, in the real world you can’t walk into a bar and go ‘JEWISH AND MY ZIPCODE.’” Obviously, his viewpoint is more in a comedic tone, but the mindset seems to be somewhat of a universal mantra by those who have not been exposed to mobile or online dating before.
The final verdict: Tinder provides a quick and easy way for individuals to find men, women, or both to either pursue relationships, pursue a night of fun, or occasionally a friend. While criticized by an older crowd, it is becoming more and more apparent that mobile dating is becoming a serious form of introduction. For those with busy lifestyles, complicated situations, or with time
to kill in an airport, this application allows for people to skip any chance they might fall walking through a crowded bar and to just talk to people that they found stood out from the others physically. It does more good for those who are trying to branch out, but to avoid some of the unnecessary blunders that are possible with traditional socialization, and it doesn’t seem that the apocalypse of dating is upon us, so you could say things have gotten a bit better since tinder came along.
