Last week, I made the fruitful decision of downloading Tinder onto my iPhone. As much as my friends lectured me about the murky dangers of dating apps, my stubbornness prevailed, and I created a profile.
I jumped into the Tinder dating pool with a set of witty responses and a catchy bio in hand — only to come out with a couple coffee dates, several dog photos (surprisingly of strangers' dogs) and an unfollow on Instagram.
It seems as if the notorious dating app resembled a reality dating show. As a sixteen-year-old girl obsessed with "The Bachelorette," I often used to joke about signing up as a contestant on the show if I was single at 25.
Three years later, I think spoke a little too soon and may have to take it into consideration. Choosing from a selection of curated profiles whilst having 20 different conversations with 20-something-year-old college guys vying for a date (and vice versa) seems awfully familiar, yet it has become the norm.
After a few weeks experimenting on the app, what have I learned?
It's an ambiguous world.
Most of the time, you really don't know what to expect unless you receive a message. Users are either looking for something casual or are looking to settle down — you just don't know. Or perhaps you wouldn't know until the second coffee date, where you hear something along the lines of "I already have a girlfriend/boyfriend" or "I'm not looking for anything yet."
Speaking of ambiguity...
Hookup culture is prevalent.
Sigh. The prevalence of hookup culture on college campuses. We've all been there, and I've definitely have had my fair share of stories. With hookup culture on the rise, it seems like many are embracing being single and exploring themselves sexually.
A recent Tinder study showed that 72 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 25 said they'd made a conscious decision to be single "for a period of time." This also comes after the company's new #SwipeLife campaign, embracing freedom, individuality and the single life.
Though speaking of which, I learned that not everyone is looking to settle down with the app.
Don't have high expectations.
*See above*
Dear boys of Tinder: "You're hot" is not a proper pickup line, nor does it constitute a following coffee date or an invite to spend the night. I'll admit, I have run into my fair share of Tinder creeps, ranging from boys with shirtless photos, desperate bios (somehow managing to find my Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, proceeding to continuously message me until I block) and a lack of substance (besides looking hot, evidently from the workout pics).
At the end of the day, Tinder is a dating app for the general public. Though you may have a slim chance of finding a decent partner, you will have to go through numerous profiles, messages and subsequent dates.
But hey, they'll make for good stories.
It's OK to be ghosted.
This is perhaps the worst part of being on Tinder. You match with a really cute guy, you hit it off on a date, make plans for next week — and then somehow never hear from them again. Their number is still working, and they still watch you on social media though. You don't know if you did anything wrong.
Sometimes, you'll never know. It's OK to be ghosted. Sometimes, it's not you. Simply move on and continue to swipe right.
It's often a facade.
Almost 90 percent of the time, the cute dog in the picture isn't even there. It's probably a random person's dog they found at the park. Don't be fooled and again. Don't set your expectations too high.
A little sarcasm doesn't hurt.
We all love a guy with some substance. A little sarcasm and quick wit definitely does not hurt. Personally speaking, I love to see more than just a profile picture and your height measurements in your bio.
You may find a gem
After tumultuously swiping left on every guy on Tinder, you may find the perfect one: someone with a witty bio, cute pics and a smooth way with words that doesn't come off as creepy. Be patient. There are some gems on Tinder.
Will I be sticking around to swipe right? Probably not. I'll just hope for the best and hopefully bump into someone IRL, but for now, I'm OK with being by myself.
