I swore I would never get a Tinder. The popular app that allows singles in the same area to connect never really appealed to me, partly because I was certain that I would not find any decent guys on there, and partly because I was not interested in mere hook-ups. I thought the concept of judging someone by a few pictures was shallow and not worth my time. Plus, the endless amount of Tinder horror stories and cringe-worthy encounters that I've heard of did little to entice me.

One of my friends, however, had other plans. I left her in possession of my phone for five minutes, and returned to see that the app had been downloaded and my profile was being made. At first, we used it just for fun- there were cute boys to look at, and seeing how fast we could swipe was fun.

After a while, it became something I did when I was bored — I was able to encounter and learn about so many people in my area without even leaving the house. However, I was still stubborn in my belief that it was a shallow app that produced little good. But oh, was I wrong.

I was wrong, not in the fact that I magically found the love of my life or someone even worth seriously dating even. But I was wrong in that I did, in fact, connect with a lot of really quality people. Like I said, I love meeting new people, and through the app, I was able to meet not just new guy friends, but also their friends.

I had a "thing" with someone on Tinder for quite a while, and though I chose not to pursue anything further, I did enjoy getting to know this person. Dating this person included getting introduced to great music (and concerts!!), and getting to know their friend group as well, which I was surprisingly welcomed into with open arms. After this "thing" had ended, I was disappointed because I wouldn't get to hang out with this person or their friends as often. However, a month after I had last seen his friends, this person's best friend's girlfriend ended up contacting me through Instagram, asking if we could hang out and grab dinner sometime.

We met in San Francisco for our "new friend date," and honestly hit it off. We talked for hours about guys, animals, school, work, and everything in between. Plans were made for the whole group (sans the guy I had dated) to hang out again, and I gained a couple of great friends (of both genders!) in the process. Outside of this situation, I have made a few other quality guy friends who are more interested in adventuring and learning more about life and other people, rather than just hooking up. Which essentially has had me like:

This isn't to say that there aren't any sleazy guys, or those just interested in a one-night stand, because there certainly is decent amount of those. And if that is what you are into, you should feel comfortable (safely!) explore that. Power to you! That is one of Tinder's purposes, after all! But if that is something you aren't interested in, it is easy to avoid.

All in all, Tinder offers a lot more benefits than my skeptical self initially gave it credit for. Though initially created for easy hook-ups, it has led to many marriages, like this one here, and many more friendships. I am currently completely embracing the single lifestyle and taking a break from the app, but I still think it's important to 1.) address the stigma that those who use Tinder are bad people, and 2.) embrace the good with the bad that comes with the app. Frankly, I'm tired of explaining where I met some of my friends from, and why I got the app in the first place. It's the 21st century, where Snapchat is no longer only used for sexting and casual dating is no longer taboo! Tinder is (actually!) a productive environment for connecting with others, and it's time it gets the credit it deserves.