I grew up in a very strict household, one where, as soon as I started considering dating apps, I was told by my parents that they were only used for one thing: sex. However, since then, I have grown up considerably, turned 18, and started college, so I have begun using apps like Tinder and Bumble. I've found this statement to be totally false, as many other users of the apps can attest to.

Yeah, of course, there are people on Tinder or Bumble that use the apps for hookups or one-night-stands. But I've found that a majority of the people on there are looking for casual or long-term dating, and I have even encountered some people just looking for a friend (not friends with benefits).

So, if this is the case, how did Tinder get such a nasty reputation—one that scares users into hiding their phone screens in shame, so no one sees them swiping left or right? Well, that's not what my article is about. Instead, I want to focus on the stigma that follows the names of these apps and services. I want to be one of many voices that helps get rid of the negative and shameful stigma that comes with using dating apps.

I, like most of the people who will be reading this, am considered a millennial. We are the generation of innovation, technology, and avocado toast, apparently. Because we are inherently so involved in using and advancing technology, it isn't surprising that we would develop a way to use our smartphones to find that special someone we want to spend the rest of our lives with. That is, until we develop the tech to upload our consciousness to the Cloud and live forever as computers (kidding!).

I still believe that Tinder and Bumble are exactly what they were originally created to be: fun and easy ways to connect people through their smartphones. I think that the negative connotations that are connected to the name Tinder deter many people from using the app, which defeats part of the purpose—which is to get as many people with phones on the service, so more people are connected and matching.

The problem is, the way to get rid of the stigma against Tinder, Bumble, and apps like them is for more people to download them. But if people don't want to download them because of the negative stigma, then we get stuck in an endless cycle. So here's my suggestion to whoever is single and reading this: download a dating app! If you're single and ready to mingle, whether or not you've struck out in the dating scene using an app like this before, give it another go! You never know who you might meet on an app like Tinder or Bumble!

Please let me know if you took my advice (or didn't), and what your experience was at the link here! (or using the link below)

https://sophiperez.typeform.com/to/opDWXR