Disclaimer: The name of this article may be misleading to some, so I would like to start this article with an apology. I am sorry if you think that Tinder is one of the best apps ever made, or that you found your significant other on the app. This article is just an opinion, and if Tinder is an app that affected your life in a positive way, then I really am happy for you and wish you the best in your relationships.
Tinder launched in 2012, and by 2014, it registered about one billion “swipes” per day. Tinder is one of the first “swiping apps" where the user uses a swiping motion to choose between the photos of other users: swiping right for potentially good matches and swiping left on a photo to move to the next one. The users get to put pictures of themselves, their age, a "bio" where they can put information such as hobbies, quotes, or unnecessary things to attract the potential right swipers.
The app has such a huge effect on many high school and mostly college students. It facilitates communication in a way where you do not have to actually face the people to ask them on dates or demonstrate your interest. Most of the conversations on Tinder are usually not based on any interesting topics, despite what might be expected, it's just complimenting each other until one of the people asks to eventually hang out.
So why, an app that sounds so beneficial and romantically satisfying, is it so bothersome, you ask?
1. It is literally based on just your looks.
The app is literally made so you swipe right on people just by passing judgment on them by their photos. So, if you don't put any appealing pictures on there, well, guess what? There goes your potential baes and soulmates. Your personality? Yeah, no worries, just try to fit it on your character based bio that no one will ever read after seeing your pictures. You like long walks on the beach, astrophysics, philosophy and have a degree from Harvard School of Law, yet your photos don't claim up to that. Sorry, left AF for you.
"Don't judge a book by its cover." Settle down, hypocrite.
2. It is not based on true feelings and will probably not last.
Again: not applicable to everybody. But in all honesty, who really wants to be proud of the fact that they met on Tinder? I surely don't. I'd much rather be single than have to accept the fact that I met my boyfriend on an app that judges people on their looks and ignores the fact that there's much more to people than their looks. How does it feel knowing the person you're together with now is only with you because of your appearance? Perhaps they got the chance to discover who you truly are, however, that was the driving force. So many people are curious when they see an "ugly" girl with an "attractive" guy or vice versa, but could it be that people are just not into their appearance? Could that ever be a possibility? How shocking and extraordinary to think that silly thing.
3. You're the rule, not the exception.
From the wonderful movie "He's Just Not That Into You," you are the rule, not the exception. Maybe someone you know is incredibly happy with someone they met on Tinder and they are in love. That person is one of the few where that is possible and yes, perhaps, it does happen. Good for them. Will it happen to you? Probably not.
4. These things take time and most people on there are not serious.
The app is seriously just an ego boost. Individuals on there, regardless of how stunning you are and what you do, likely won't consider to date you. True and meaningful things take time and are not at first sight. It requires investment and persistence to become more acquainted with a person and see if they are compatible with you. Tinder is an application that does not give any of these things, likewise gives a ton of options to people. So, you're always competing with people who might be better than you on the next swipe.
So, my question for you is, would you really want to have a relationship based on what this app has to provide for you? I don't know about you, but I am the kind of person who appreciates honesty, confidence, and certainty. If a person can't tell me they're attracted to me, would like to take me on a date, get to know me better and be creative then I wouldn't really want it anyway. A person should be able to respect you enough to make sure you know you were the only person they wanted in the first place, not an option from many other faces they matched with on Tinder.
"I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. And I plan on finding out what that is."
