With Valentine's Day quickly approaching it seems that more desperation is in the air than love. People are so obsessed with finding someone to spend this one love-filled day with than finding someone to actually be with for the long term. So where do they turn? The internet.
Online dating started its takeover toward the end of 2004 and it hasn't slowed down since. There is truly a site for everyone, no matter your religion, race, or even gender there's something out there for you. But what I want to focus on is how simple online dating has become, specifically through Tinder.
Tinder is a matchmaking app that allows people to connect simply by swiping their finger. The complete opposite of the dating sites I mentioned earlier, which use complex methods to shuffle through users' personal profiles to match them with strangers who have similar interests. However with Tinder, you see a person's photo, first name, age, and very brief profile, then you are able to swipe left for no or right for yes. That's it, no effort exerted at all.
But when you think about it, Tinder fits well with today's fast paced, media-based society, and that is exactly what Alan Feuer talks about in his article in the NY Times. He sheds light on the use of Tinder in New York City though the personal experiences of his friends. How they find date after date by swiping right, making a match, and having a brief conversation -- and if it doesn't go well, who cares? Because there are thousands of other profiles to be swiped through when they get home. And that's the thing, Tinder creates a sort of "Social ADD" which as stated in the article, leads to people "collecting, instead of connecting with others". This defeats the whole purpose of creating relationships, which the app was meant to do.
It seems that with the increased popularity of Tinder the main purpose of its creation has become sort of an after thought. While Tinder definitely has the potential to start life long relationships, I feel as though it serves more as a self-esteem boost than a matchmaker.
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