How Tinder Has Revolutionized Dating

     

       It has become quite common for relationships to form off popular dating apps, so I do feel that it’s been normalized somewhat for our generation.  I still feel it may be awkward to say, for a lot of people, especially if one of your older relatives ask, “So how did you guys meet?”.  You may be afraid of their response because they have only experienced conventional dating before a revolution occurred recently in the digital age.  Tinder came out in 2012 and Bumble since 2014.  There were more online dating websites that I remember being around before that, but I was too young at this time to use these things.  I feel like I saw only middle-aged people using these websites(ex:// eHarmony, OkCupid, Plenty of Fish, etc.).  Most of these may have become dating apps, but are not as popular today as Tinder or Bumble have become for the younger generation.

What these apps revolutionized in their design to “match” you with any profile that attracts you, is the ease in just one right swipe.  These apps have also normalized a new type of hook-up culture that many people participate in, especially those from ages 18-30. CNN even reports that according to Nancy Jo’s article, Tinder and the Dawn of the ‘Dating Apocalypse’, apps like Tinder, Hinge, and OkCupid have created an unbelievably easy marketplace for casual sex.  I feel that most people that use or have used the app can agree that this is 100% accurate.  With one swipe you can match with someone that you find attractive because they find you attractive too.  It’s a flattering game that inevitably helps our egos, and is fast paced.  It becomes something we will use when we need to pass the time.

      I feel that, that’s why it has become a little awkward for our generation to admit that they have met their significant other off tinder.  When it was released, I feel that people would be more tempted to lie about how they met their significant other because it was seen as such a weird way of meeting people after years of traditional dating styles that have been only exchanged face-to-face for years prior to the digital age.  Now I feel it may be awkward because apps like Tinder have become the breeding ground for many meaningless one-night stands.  The problem with this, is it is a broken system.  People need to be honest with each other about their intentions in order to come to a common agreement on what they are looking for.  Sometimes different types of relationships form rather than just a one night stand.  You may hook up with this person once and both agree to meet again, or even become friends with benefits.  Some may even go past that and start to date and form a relationship.  Some have even gotten married from meeting off of Tinder.  This may seem like a good thing, but it has left a lot of room for different options of what kind of relationship you want with the person you meet offline.  One person may want exclusivity with a person they are consistently hooking up with, meanwhile this person may want to keep things how they are and may even be doing it with multiple different people.

        I feel that this has become the problem since there has been a revolutionary change in the way we meet and interact with those we are attracted to.  Meeting online has become just as common as meeting someone you interact with and both find to be interested in each other face-to-face.  Although it has been a helpful tool for many it could confuse and complicate a lot of relationships, or one night stands, that form from online dating apps.  I feel that an easy solution to this problem is both parties being honest with each other about what their intentions are on the app and what they are looking for with their matches.  Being specific about this can save the awkward confusion that may occur.