Relationships July 18, 2019
Coming from a girl who was voted "Most Likely to Marry a Guy from Tinder"
Recently, it seems like Tinder dates have been pushed to the back burner as hookup culture and other more innovative dating apps, such as Hinge and Bumble, have come into play. In hindsight, these apps have one thing in common. They can jump start relationships, romantic or not, with people from all over the world.
Dates are no longer the main goal when using Tinder and other apps. Hookup culture in particular seems to have become the norm. According to the American Psychological Association, “Despite their increasing social acceptability, however, developing research suggests that sexual hookups may leave more strings attached than many participants might first assume.”
From my experience using Tinder, I seem to always run into skepticism from my friends about online dating apps. And with the seemingly ever growing amount of online dating horror stories, it’s easy to see where the skeptics are coming from. However, they seem to forget that for a lot of people, this is the new normal. Hookup culture appears to have pushed aside the idea of using dating apps for anything else besides hookups, but there is so much more than meets the eye.
For the past three years of my life, Tinder dates have been the only kind of dates I have associated with. So much in fact that I was proudly awarded “Most Likely to Marry a Guy from Tinder” as my superlative at my sorority’s last formal. I owe Tinder a lot of credit from gaining confidence to meeting complete strangers, to going on a date with my high school crush and to finding my sorority formal dates. It has given me more than I could have ever hoped for.
A part of me sometimes shies away from admitting the date I have coming up or the new guy I have been Snapchatting is from Tinder. I have slowly been coming around to the realization that no one actually has room to judge.
According to Business of Apps, “It is estimated that 50 million people world wide use Tinder.” We have this amazing technology and crazy new innovative ways of connecting with people now so we might as well take advantage of it.
If you classify yourself as even slightly introverted, like myself, I recommend using Tinder dates as much as you can to step out of your comfort zone. Being shy around new people is completely normal, and from what I have learned throughout my Tinder journey, is the more you do it the easier it becomes. It eases the thought and process of talking to and approaching people during your non dating life.
I have personally seen a significant rise in confidence within myself at work, school and other social functions. Meeting with new people from Tinder can be tricky with cat-fishing and other horrific online events taking place everyday, but if you’re careful it can be a great tool to utilize.
Online dating can be scary, but that doesn’t mean you should shy away at the first sign of danger. Some tricks I have learned to use throughout the years have kept me from ever experiencing anything too sketchy (knock on wood).
Google them! A quick Google search can reassure you (or not) as to who they really are. What I always do first before a new Tinder date is ask the guy to follow me on either Instagram or Snapchat. As we have all learned from watching MTV’s Catfish, social media accounts still are not fool proof in determining if someone is who they say they are. However, this is a good indicator to see if you have any mutual followers too!
A lot of the guys I have met through Tinder happen to also be people I already have mutual connections with. This makes it easier to feel as if you aren’t with a complete stranger. I also highly suggest always meeting in a public place for your first few Tinder dates with the same person, and always drive yourself. You don’t want someone brand new knowing where you live.
What Tinder has given me is the confidence to become someone who I never saw coming. I am more confident in my ability to speak to new people, I’m not afraid to try new things and I have learned to become more accepting to those who don’t follow the traditional dating path. I hope everyone can eventually accept the new normal of online dating and Tinder dates as much as I have. Simply put, they can give a lot more in life than you could ever begin to imagine.
