Let's take a beat and talk about Tinder. As a single 20-something, Tinder is constantly being refreshed on my phone. There's something addicting about the repetitive swiping left or right. And while the app is extremely popular among the younger crowd of college and high school students, let's be honest for a moment: Tinder is a nightmare.
There are so many things wrong with Tinder, in my opinion, starting with the fact that it's not for those looking to start a long term relationship. It is widely known as a hookup app, and before I ever downloaded it, I was warned not to expect anything serious from a Tinder match. In the three months or so that I've been a member of the app, I've had quite a few dead-end conversations and empty matches, as I like to call them. While I find myself consumed in swiping whenever I get bored, it has become more of a mindless task than a quest to find love.
One thing in particular that bugs me about the app, and most dating apps to be honest, is that it is pretty traditional in terms of preferences. Its settings are stuck within the gender binary, which just is not enough in 2016. In settings, you are able to set your discovery preferences to "only men", "only women", and 'men and women." However, these settings leave out a whole range of people who do not fall within the gender binary. And to expand on the subject of preference, there's no sure way to tell a person's sexual preference on the app unless they specify it in their bio. Sometimes you are left to assume.
Another thing that bugs me is matching. Here's the thing about matching on Tinder: on the one hand it's a nice icebreaker in the event that you've had your eye on someone in class or at work and haven't yet built up the courage to express your feelings. You can hop on Tinder and swipe right and if they match with you, there's your in. But, the flaw in that plan is that unless they message you or you flat out ask them how they feel, you have no way of knowing if they swiped right on you because they know you or because they actually like you. On the other hand, matches will most likely sit there with neither of you daring to message each other, which is cool too.
There's also the issue of creepy messages. There's always that one creep who's first message is "Wanna f*ck?" Like, why!? On what planet is it okay to ever ask a complete stranger to sleep with you at all, let alone on a dating app? Just add that to the list of things I will never understand.
Lastly, Super Like is the devil and it should not exist! How many times have you been swiping and accidentally super liked someone's profile? For me, too many times to count. Ant to make matters even more embarrassing, Tinder shows you who super likes you! With a regular like you can just throw caution to the wind and if they don't swipe right back they'll never know that you liked them and you can quietly move on and forget, but if you super like someone they can see that you not only liked them, you SUPER LIKED them. It's super embarrassing.
Even with all the horrors of Tinder, it's a pretty solid app and great for combating boredom, so go forth into the Tinder sphere with your head high and your thumb poised. Happy swiping, and watch out for that pesky super like!
