Everything is online these days; our homework assignment, shopping and now even dating. The Instagram accounts entitled things such as “ Tinder Nightmares” or the screenshots of awkward Tinder conversations are through the roof! Everyone makes fun of it, you poke fun at Tinder because there’s some truly uniquely terrifying things on there. I cannot even begin to count the amount of times that my friends and I have sat around on lazy Sundays and scrolled through each other’s Tinders, "liking" people on the app because of how weird their bios or pictures were. Tinder has become the butt of a lot of jokes, primarily because of the scary/creepy factor.
What if there was an app that made this stuff less creepy? Less dirty, invasive and cruel? Well, you’re in luck, there is! It’s a new app called Bumble. I had a chance to interview LSU’s head representative for the new mobile app, Victoria Waguespack, currently a sophomore and a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, to better understand where Bumble came from, what it’s purpose is, and how the people behind it plan on it doing in the future.
What is Bumble?
Bumble is a social networking/dating app developed as an answer to a void in the market for friendly, casual, low pressure introductions. To put it light heartedly, Bumble is the “anti-creep” dating app.
Who thought of Bumble? And why?
Bumble was founded by Whitney Wolfe, co-founder of Tinder. Wolfe created the concept with Andrey Andreev of the UK's corporation Badoo; Chris Gulczynski, Tinder co founder; and Sarah Mick, former VP of Design for Tinder. They developed Bumble as a solution to dead end matches on other dating apps by putting the ball in the woman's court. Since the woman is required to start the chat within 24 hours or the match expires, the majority of matches turn into conversations. This takes the pressure off of guys, while giving women permission to direct the conversation.
How does it work?
It’s incredibly easy to navigate and very lighthearted. Upon opening your Bumble app, you will be given the profiles of your sexual preference, having the option of either swiping them right, meaning you like what you see, or swiping them left if they’re not your type. If you both swipe each other right, this gives you a match. Here’s where the fun begins: the girl has 24 hours to chat the boy first, or else the connection goes away. But there’s a catch: each boy gets to choose 1 girl every 24 hours to extend for another 24 hours.
How much personal information does this app require?
You can have as much or as little personal information as you would like when creating your Bumble profile. Like I said earlier, Bumble uses your Facebook profile so whatever age and school your Facebook profile says, your Bumble profile will say as well. There is also an info section on your profile where you have the option of saying anything you would like – I urge people to fill out their info because it shows character and allows you to decide which was to swipe using other information besides just a picture.
Can people see if you’re on it? What if a person "likes" someone and they don’t "like" them back?
Your Bumble profile is connected with your Facebook – but don’t worry, it does not post on your Facebook page. The good thing about being able to swipe people right or left is that they will never know which way you swipe them unless you both like each other – so don’t be afraid to swipe the cute older boy right because he’ll never know unless he also swipes you right.
Do people actually find love on Bumble?
Finding love is a definite possibility on Bumble, but it's not the only purpose! Majority of users have made new friends and great networking contacts on the app, and many have reported successful dates. It's rumored that one of the female members of the executive team of Bumble actually met her boyfriend on her first Bumble date!
Is it just another Tinder?
Absolutely not!!! I cannot stress to you enough that Bumble is fun and lighthearted. You don’t need to be “looking for love” in order use the app. It’s a great way to meet new people and start conversations that may never had been started had you not been on the app.
What makes it different from other dating apps? Why should people download it?
Bumble is changing the rules of the dating game. Girls are being forced to make the first move, which may be scary to some at first, but once you get over the nerves, you’ll find that it gives you a sense of empowerment. We want women to feel as though they are equal to men in all aspects of life – including dating.
