Almost every single girlfriend that I have, has been on Tinder at some point. For those of you who don't know what Tinder is, it is an online dating app where you can swipe right (yes) or left (no) on people based off of mainly pictures, but also a short and sweet bio. I do admit that using Tinder does work a small percentage of the time. Admittedly, my short time on Tinder at the beginning of college actually resulted in a long-term relationship with my ex. I know that this might sound contradictory based off of my past, but Tinder has completely taken a turn that seems so different from what it started as. The sole purpose of the app nowadays seems to be hooking up.
Tinder removes most of the awkward parts of dating. A person no longer needs to go on dates or needs to get to know the person at all. It has increased the popularity in hookup culture and has made it easier for everyone. What happened to the good ol' days where a boy would ask you out for a meal, and then proceed to take you on a long walk where you would ultimately decide if you liked each other or not. It seems that with every generation, short cuts for human interaction are key.
It isn't just Tinder that is "making things easier" for us, it's also restaurants, fast-food, Amazon, etc... I recall seeing a commercial on TV the other day about Little Caesar's new "pizza portals." Instead of calling ahead and picking up your pizza from a worker, you can now walk up to their machine, slide your card, and take your pizza out of its assigned slot. No humans needed. Amazon will soon be delivering packages to our doors via bots, bars in Las Vegas will be run on machinery that can produce a perfect cocktail, and Tinder will slowly change the way we interact with potential suitors. But it doesn't end here, we can already check into a flight without talking to a person. Next, the machinery will be able to pass us through TSA in the airports. We are glued to our phones constantly, even talking on the phone is no longer necessary with text messages.
Technology is being supposedly being created in order to make our lives easier, but will it make us less happy? We will have less interaction with humans in various sectors of life. Whether it's meeting up with someone to hook up without getting to know them first, or ordering a pizza and never having to see a human, our world is changing whether we like it or not.
The modern world is changing so rapidly, and I never really understood it until I took a minute to meditate on this idea. It seems crazy how far our world has come since 2005. My hope for the world is that we do not lose any compassion or kindness due to the overuse of technology. I hope that accepting new technology does not mean that we will be any less human. Take some time to be off your phone, and with the ones you love. It makes a huge difference in our mood for the day.
