By Olivia Boyd, Staff Writer
Tinder (noun) is a “dry, flammable material, such as wood or paper, used for lighting a fire” or a popular dating app that millions of people around the world use for dating, hooking up or “friendship.” This well-swiped application has succeeded its predecessors of Match.com and eHarmony with its 7.86 million users.
The promise of finding an easy hookup or date is enticing especially during this cold and lonely February. You may be like me and find yourself redownloading the little flamed app after deleting it scores of times previously; all while thinking to yourself this time is going to be different. A little fun fact: It’s not better this time, and you’re still going to delete it in less than a week.
According to Pew Research, 48% of 18- to 29-year-olds say they have used a dating app while only 12% have found themselves in a committed relationship because of the app. One more unsurprising fact is that young women who have used a dating app are more likely to report negative interactions with others on the platform.
I can’t argue with any of those statistics. Most of my failed relationships came from Tinder. If I could count on my fingers how many times I have had someone say something offensive towards me on the app, I’d need every person who is reading this to put both hands up. I wish I were over-exaggerating, but as a seasoned-pro of swiping on Tinder for the past several years, I am not.
An advantage of using Tinder as a female is that you’re more likely to get matches compared to your fellow male users. However, that can come at an expense.
The app seems to fuel those with fragile masculinities who assume that every woman on the app is meant to put out for them. You’re a prude if you don’t, and you’re a slut if you do. This app is the equivalent of the fast fashion industry. Relationships with people are fleeting, and things go out of style before you know it.
Females do however have a home advantage on apps like Tinder. The proportion between males and females is skewed. I almost feel bad for the males who want to find a connection, but that feeling quickly shrivels when I’m asked for a certain kind of promiscuous picture. I quickly digress.
In the COVID-19 age, dating apps and websites seem to be the only option for those yearning for a Valentine. The choices for coming across a significant other in person has slowly shifted to being non-applicable. While others have chosen to keep trying the Tinder route, I’ll delete that sucker and take my cynical self to get some ice cream.
boydok17@bonaventure.edu
