How many times have you heard the question, “Where did you meet your boyfriend/girlfriend?” Well, if you were searching for a partner in the 20th century, you would probably reply with something like, “We’re both members of the same country club”, “In Florida” or “Our moms are best friends friends”. However, replies like these are not so common in this day and age as we always hear of people meeting online- Plenty of Fish, OKCupid, Lavalife, Grindr and Tinder are all popular online matchmaking programs that we continue to learn about… But, how legit are these online matchmaking programs? Some would argue that they’re only legit for those looking for a quick hookup sesh, while others would disagree and state that these revolutionary programs are actually legit matchmakers. What do I think? I agree with both statements. Yeah, these online services might fulfill someone’s sexual appetite, but to say that these services can’t help anyone find “the love” that they’re looking for would be straight up, ignorant. Throughout this article, we will look at the ins and outs of Tinder- what it is, how it works, and funny stories that have occurred due to the application.
“It’s going down, I’m yelling TINDER” is what my roommates and I constantly find ourselves singing. Unfortunately, “Timber” and Tinder are not related in any way. There are only a few requirements one needs in order to create a Tinder profile- a Facebook profile and an Apple iOS/Android phone. So, how does Tinder work? It’s pretty easy, actually. The first thing you should do when constructing a Tinder profile is upload photos of yourself. Yes, people are judging you based off of your appearance, get over it. Next, if you are a heterosexual male, you will notice a woman’s photo with an “X” icon or “✔” icon (Note: Tinder will show you photos of others based on your sexual preference). If you are interested in the person you’re looking at, you will touch the “✔” icon and hopefully, it will be a match. What is a match? You will be notified, “Congratulations! You have a new match!” when someone else that you’ve liked (“✔”) has liked you as well… If you don’t like the person, you will touch the “X” icon and keep using the app until either boredom strikes or have ran out of possible matches.
So, the real question is- have I ever personally met someone through Tinder? Unfortunately for you, the answer is “No”. However, I have Tinder (see if you can find me) and know many people who have had their fair share of Tinder experiences. When you’re in a University town with nothing to do, a lot of people turn to applications like Tinder, either to receive a little sexual pleasure or to actually find love. I have many friends in Waterloo that have actually used Tinder for both reasons. For instance, a friend of mine was bored one night and he decided to invite one of his matches over to his apartment- without knowing a thing about her. While he was waiting for her to arrive, he was worried about the possibility of her being a 40-year-old pedophile in disguise, a criminal or a friend playing a trick on him… Unfortunately to my disappointment, the girl was who she appeared to me and my friend “got lucky”. However, another friend of mine is OBSESSED with online dating applications (which is not uncommon nowadays) and has accounts on all of the dating services you could think of. You could definitely say that she was hungry for love. Guess what Tinder allowed her to find? You guessed right- love! She didn’t feel comfortable meeting the guy for the first time in a private space so she told him to come to a certain nightclub and long story short, he did, they hit off and they’re still dating to this day! So, what was that you said about Tindr not being a legit way to find love? That’s what I thought.
If you do match with someone you’re interested in, you should message them (or maybe wait for them to message you), get to know them, maybe even exchange numbers or maybe even MEET up? If you choose to meet this person, remember to be careful (not like my friend)!
Thanks for reading!
Check out Tinder (even if it’s just for fun)
Aaron Krandel
Twitter: akrands
