Getting Down and Dirty With Tinder
Contributing Writers: Kristen Hatton, Tia Franzone, and Michael Devries
We’ve all seen people we know get matched up on the common dating websites known as EHarmony and Match.com, but as the world progresses into a digital universe, we can now find a date with a simple finger swipe. Tinder, an app created for Apple IOS7 and android phones, allows people to find a “match” via a swipe of your finger. On Sept. 15 2012, a party was taking place at Southern California University. This wasn’t your average party; it was the birth of Tinder. Tinder is now available in 24 different languages. The app connects to your Facebook (for your profile picture) and asks for your location services to be “on” so it can track you and find friends for you to match with.
At the home screen, you are asked what gender you are looking to be matched with; male, female, or both. You can also pick how many mile radiuses surrounding you, your matches can be from, these range from one mile to 100 miles. The age range is 18-50 years old. Now you can match away. As you swipe your finger, you can choose to say “no” in which the person will never return to your screen. You can choose “not now” and the person may show up again in the future, or you can choose to like him or her (there is a heart on the screen). If the person likes you back, you’re matched, and you can begin to “messaging” on the screen.
After spending some time working with Tinder, I noticed that a lot of it is males trying to get females to do provocative things; for instance, “How about you show me your boobs” or “Talk dirty to me.” Once in a while, you get someone who actually does want to know more about you and maybe even invite you to his or her college or out on a date. Just like a dating website, you can choose to see the person, but that is definitely a risk. I know plenty of people who met their significant others on Tinder. If you do decide to go on a date with someone you meet on Tinder, make sure you tell other people where you are going just in case something were to happen. So, give it a shot, what do you have to lose?
