Back in the fall, one of our clients at my work got talking to me about being single and dating. She told me that I had to get the app thing that the girls she works with have. She couldn't remember the name or many details about it, just that the single girls in their 30s who she works with all use it. She emailed me the name later in the week - Tinder.
I'd never heard of it before, so I googled it. The articles I read about it described it as a "hook-up app". That singles use it to find other people to hook up with. The repeated use of the term "hook-up" had me extremely wary. I'm not interested in a hook-up. I want to date. I want to find someone worth continuing to date. But I figured that I've tried everything else, might as well give it a try and see.
You enroll with Tinder using your Facebook account. Nobody on your Facebook knows that you're using Tinder, but that's how they pull your name, your age, your photos, your contacts and your "likes". You adjust your settings to what age range and distance you're willing to consider (30-42, 40 km or less). Then the game begins.
You're shown a photo of a guy, his name and his age. Depending on the number of photos they've uploaded, you may be able to see up to 6 photos and they may have chosen to write a short message. If you have any mutual friends or "likes" on Facebook, that will show too. Then you simply swipe left if you're not interested or swipe right if you are. Completely superficial? Absolutely. But here's what I discovered that I like about it - you can only message with users who have said "like" to you and vice versa - only if there's mutual interest. No more messages from 18 year olds! No more messages from overweight 50-year-old Indian men! For that alone, I decided it was worth continuing the experiment.
Within my first few weeks on Tinder, I went on a couple of dates. Both were totally fine, nice guys. But I wasn't really attracted to one and the other wasn't very interesting. The tinder experience in general however, proved to be very interesting.
Some fascinating/horrifying trends on Tinder:
1. People do genuinely use it just looking for a hook-up. Which just makes me think, what is wrong with you that you can't go out in person to find a hook-up? If I wanted one, that's how I'd get one. But you can be promised a great time, like from this guy (read his note):
2. When people aren't happy with their current relationship or want to offer you a "modeling career" Tinder is their answer!
3. I thought Peacocking was bad on online dating sites. Tinder brings it to a whole other level. (I promise to post some great Peacocking samples soon.) Peacocking is bad enough when the guy has a good body. But then there are some who you REALLY don't want to see, yet they're showing us what they've got. And I wonder why they think it could be a good idea. Like this fellow:
Welcome to Tinder my readers!
