Who remembers when the biggest joke on the Internet was "Swipe right/left?" 2014 was flooded with screenshots of creepy hookup invitations and invasive or vulgar messages sent over the location-based dating app. It was notoriously known for being just a shady place to go in search of something quick and meaningless, no matter how seriously or romantically it was marketed. But recently I've noticed a cultural shift in Millennials' definition of Tinder. More and more often, I hear friends of mine discuss the various "Tinder dates" they've had and the increasing number of success stories these dates have produced. Has this social networking app finally reached the respectable status it was originally intended to have?

Tinder's website boasts that its app has produced "nine billion matches" for "friends, dates, relationships, and everything in between." With 1.4 billion swipes and 24 million matches a day, surely some of those connections must be romantic. Tinder allows users to share their interests, hobbies, careers, colleges, and more with others. After viewing someone's profile, users have the option to swipe right if they're interested, or swipe left if they aren't. Tinder functions on a "double opt-in" standard, meaning that users can only receive messages from other users who have swiped right on them as well. This eliminates the possibility of receiving unwanted messages from people you don't like. The best part? All swipes are anonymous unless it's a match. So there's no pressure, no rejection, and no risk. Sounds pretty good, right?

I reached out to several of my friends who have found relationships through Tinder to ask them about their experiences, and they were overwhelmingly positive. Most of them agreed, however, that they did not approach Tinder with the idea of possibly finding a significant other.

"I went onto Tinder to make fun of guys and to find something that wasn't serious at all," said a friend of mine, who wanted to be referred to by "the most random and great alias I could think of."

Another anonymous friend said that she "honestly didn't expect much from it" and admitted to having "some pretty crappy experiences" from men who were "less than quality."

Another good friend of mine, Cierra, said that she used to use the app "for dates left and right that never turned out to be anything more than just a hookup or meaningless date." That was until she swiped right on her now long-term boyfriend.

"It was like I was meeting up with someone I had known for years," She told me. "One year later I moved in with him and I honestly don't think I've ever been happier. It's like a never-ending sleepover with my best friend. Honestly, swiping right on him was the best unconscious decision I ever made."

So, true love via a nefarious dating app is totally possible. One of my best friends, Sara, also contributed to my research: "I met my boyfriend on Tinder and two hours ago he told me he loves me."

I remember talking to her on the floor of my dorm room after she came back from her very first date with him. She was exhilarated, and that was when I really began to wonder if Tinder was up to snuff. "He bought us matching shirts that say 'Bonnie' and 'Clyde' because my Tinder profile read 'I'll be Bonnie; let's rob a bank.'" Clearly, it is.

In fact, most of the people I talked to agreed that Tinder had brought them something unprecedented and surprisingly good. "Recently I met a guy who pretty much seemed like the most perfect guy to date. Who knows what will happen, but because of Tinder I am now hoping for something more," said the first pseudonym-ed friend.

Despite her previous poor experiences, my other unnamed friend said, "Then I started talking to my boyfriend and that all changed. When we started talking, I thought we'd just be friends. But it turned into so much more and now I can't picture my life being any other way!"

One of my oldest best friends, Alia, has recently become a Tinder aficionado since starting college, so I reached out to her for comment. She began telling me about the myriad (mostly good!) Tinder dates she's attended and, despite the fact that none of them have led to commitment, she's still really happy with the app's success.

"I like hookup culture right now. I'm down for a relationship anytime but I'm not stressing." She told me.

So, conclusively, Tinder does exactly what it promises. It connects people who may not have approached each other otherwise without confirmation that the feeling is mutual. I'm still not exactly sure when or where this cultural shift from "meet up in an alleyway or bust" to "tell me about your aspirations" came from, but it's bringing a lot of people a lot of happiness. Not to say that the app isn't a great resource for the Dionysian hookup culture, but it's uplifting to know that something so convenient and simple as Tinder can bring about real, emotional relationships with our peers. To all the singles out there, happy swiping.