We all know that girl: constantly on her phone swiping while exclaiming that “Tinder sucks,” but she never closes the app. Today, it’s all about “dating” apps that match young singles up and have them chat. Not a few minutes into using one, you’re hit with “Hey! Wanna meet up?” with the ever-present winky face (and we all know what it means).

When you open a dating app, you are flooded with images and are told to make a snap decision about someone based on no more than 6 pictures, and all you know about them is what they put in their 500 character bio.

Six pictures to decide if you like them or not.This culture demeans our character and promotes only our physicality. We are told that we know whether or not we like this person. It creates an air of superficiality, but also diminishes our own self-esteem. It makes us question how we are perceived, and we begin to obsess over our own pictures and what other users will think of us.

Most men describe themselves in their bio as looking for something casual if not solely physical.Sex has become your initial interaction. Looking for any sort of long-lasting relationship through apps, such as Tinder and Bumble, is met with resistance. In almost any interaction, you have to establish whether either of you are into “hooking up.”It makes us afraid to want something more.

If you think back to how older couples met, it was through mutual friends or family or at a bar! It was through face-to-face interactions. Although I personally know couples that met on dating apps and have good relationships, with the good experiences there are many negative ones that shine brighter. Even when you have a positive interaction with one of your matches, it leaves you wondering if they are being charming because they want a hookup or if they are generally interested in you as a person? It makes us question ourselves and dig to find the real reason we are using a dating app. Do we actually want a hookup? Or do we want someone to date?