Oh, Tinder. Never has there ever been a dating app with more controversy (that I am aware of). Since it's birth in 2012, Tinder has skyrocketed into a worldwide platform for electronic dating. With an estimated 50 million users and 10 million daily users, Tinder has matched around 10 billion people.
That's a lot of swipes. About 1.4 billion a day to be exact, according to DMR stats.
For the sake of complete transparency, I will admit that I am an avid Tinder user. Now from what I have gathered, people use Tinder for many different reasons. Yes, some people consider Tinder to be strictly a 'hookup app', but others do not believe this to be true.
I consider myself to be in agreement with the latter. Below I will detail my thought process on just a few ways you can use this rather ingenious app. Yet, I do not claim the app's concept to be perfect. Therefore, what is a better to explain my reasoning than a carefully crafted list of pros and cons?
Lets begin, shall we?
Pro: Countless adventures
Never again will I insist on a stereotypical lunch meet-up. If you actually read people's bios, you can find an amass of common interests and creativity. I've gone kayaking, hiking, geocaching, soccer playing, cliff jumping, milkshake grabbing, baseball game watching, coffee drinking, beer drinking, ping-pong playing and much more. If you're meeting someone for the first time, might as well make it fun.
Con: You won't click with everyone
Let's be honest, some people only sound good on paper. You might find them attractive and have many common interests, but that doesn't mean that you will get along swimmingly in real life.
Pro: You can make great friends
It's true. I have met two of my best friends off Tinder. Judge that as you may. I have made countless other connections through the app. Go into it with an open mind and the worst that can happen is the above.
Con: There are indeed some weirdos
So you go to a meet-up. It may be a friend thing or a date thing; either way something is off. Perhaps they told you that they have the ability to heal people through the power of God. Perhaps they are too incredibly forward and you have to flee their house after dinner. Yes, both of those have happened to me. But want to know the good news? You never have to see them again if you don't want to.
Pro: You get the insider information
As someone who is constantly moving around, I'd have to say this is one of the top things I use Tinder for. There is nothing better than having a local show you around their town or give good recommendations. You learn the slang, learn what to avoid, and discover new places to explore.
Con: People are judgemental
I personally do not care if the world knows I use Tinder (hence this article), but it would be nice if it's use was more socially accepted. Not everyone uses the app to find sexual partners; so let's not treat it as such.
Pro: It's fun
In fact, it's almost like a game. The fact that you can now Tinder with your friends and go out in groups makes it even more of a party. You can be as creative with the app as you'd like. In my bio, I ask people to send me song recommendations. I've found some great new artists that way.
Con: It's a slow process
Sometimes. It isn't always easy to meet up with someone. People don't always get on the app, they might lack enthusiasm, or their text conversation might just be plain boring. It's easy to lose interest fast when the conversation stalls.
Pro: You may fall for someone
It happens. You may find youself truly caring for someone you met. Now whether or not you create a false story for how you met is completley up to you.
Overall, I have more good things to say about Tinder than bad. Yes, you will have your trolls on the app but there are also a lot of really nice, genuine people.
So swipe on, my friends.
