“I’m beginning to think that Tinder is a rainbow and you’re the treasure at the end”.
Cheesy chat up lines. That is what makes a Tinder conversation. The cheesier the opening line, the better. The best Tinder conversations are never the ones that start off with a boring “hey”. When a person dares to be different and says something shocking, funny or just plain weird, people are more likely to keep the conversation going.
I once argued with a boy on Tinder as if we were a married couple. By the end of the conversation we had agreed to get married in Las Vegas. As you do.
That’s what Tinder is all about: finding someone with whom you can talk absolute nonsense. Whether you’re simply passing time on your phone or you’re actually looking to find a potential partner, Tinder can be quite entertaining.
For years, online dating was something that was looked down upon, something that lonely people would use as a last resort to find their true love. Online dating websites such as Match.com have been around for years but they always seemed to be aimed at older people.
That is what makes Tinder so different. Teenagers and young adults all over the world are using it. It now seems to be socially acceptable to have Tinder sitting comfortably between your Facebook and Twitter apps on your phone.
Tinder takes a different approach to other dating websites. It’s all about first impressions. There are no questionnaires to be filled out, just a short “About You” section underneath a selection of your best selfies. It’s as simple as that.
Tinder matches you up with people you have already approved of, even if that approval comes from a quick glance and a simple swipe of the finger. That rush of excitement when you get matched with someone is a feeling like no other. Until you discover that person has no personality. Or worse still, if it’s the other person in the photo you liked.
But it’s not fun being on the other side. When someone is disappointed that you’re the other girl in the photo, it sets back your confidence a little.
Like all social media, Tinder has its safety issues. A young Irish journalist was recently ‘catfished’ when photos she uploaded to Facebook were used to create a fake Tinder profile. This could happen to anyone and it highlights the necessity of privacy settings online.
So why do people use Tinder? Is it because they’re lonely, single and looking for “the one”? Probably not. Many Tinder addicts use it out of sheer boredom, like any other social media site.
A recent study conducted by The New York Times shows that average user spends about 90 minutes per day on Tinder. That’s a lot of swiping. And it seems women are a lot fussier when it comes to choosing a mate. According to the same study, men are three times more likely to swipe right than women.
So don’t be so judgemental. Give the lads a chance to use their cheesy chat up lines on you.
Aoibheann Diver
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