It turns out if you tell people you’re writing a blog about Tinder and ask if they’ve ever partook, they will say “No.” I’m not shocked, even though our generation is so obsessed with our phones and the latest apps, there’s still a stigma attached to actively seeking other single people.
Tinder is an app created for that sole purpose, it’s pretty shallow, the user swipes right meaning interested and left for not depending on several photos and a short biography. Simple right?
I was able to talk to several brave souls about their experiences or friends of theirs.
“My roommate met her fiance on Tinder and my other roommate and her boyfriend made ones to see how many matches they could get.” -Hannah
“My male coworker made a Grindr (the gay equivalent of Tinder), even though he’s not gay, and he’s apparently met girls from that.” -Emily
Ok, the second story definitely irked me. We don’t know who could be on the other side of that screen, does that add to the stigma? Maybe it’s some 40 year-old man who still lives in his mom’s basement or a guy pretending to be gay to pick up girls.
Other stories turn out for the better though.
“For me, Tinder started out as a way to try and meet new people and see where it went from there. I knew the reputation it had for being a “hook up” site and I didn’t mind. I wasn’t expecting to meet anyone. JD and I started talking and it went so perfect and now the last 9 months with him have been so perfect. I would advise new users to be very upfront about what they are looking for and what they are willing to do. There are many people on there who are only looking for just sex and not everyone is down for that. The people who are looking for a real connection, platonic or romantic, just need to be a little more careful with Tinder than OkCupid or EHarmony. Looking back, I don’t have any regrets using Tinder and I recommend it to those looking to meet new people.” -Kayla
My interest to start a Tinder account again was piqued. I had previously made them and it was a form of entertainment, judging other people based on looks because I was bored. Several of my coworkers use it and had been somewhat successful. Maybe it’s my time to return back to Tinder?
Is a connection real if it starts with your phone and such a shallow concept? Are there ways to get a higher swipe right ratio?
A bad Tinder profile:
-No biography
-Pictures with only guys in it
A good Tinder profile:
-Pictures without other people of the opposite gender and showing outdoorsy activities
-An interesting biography
I will be on Tinder for 12 hours with each profile, after 12 hours I will swipe right on 25 guys and see the ratio for a good versus bad profile. After the initial 24 hours with 2 profiles, I will leave my Tinder up for an extra 24 hours to see if I get any more matches.
For the first profile, screenshot below over the course of 12 hours 10/25 people swiped right. One was a very close friend of mine who “super liked” me so he wasn’t included. The next 12 hours was my “good” profile, that garnered 12/25 immediate matches.
By the end of the 48 hour period, I had acquired 27 matches and several messages including cheesy pickup lines and one guy asking me “What are you looking for to you having a guy in every picture?”
He was right, what do these profiles convey about each individual? There’s only really so much you can do on a Tinder profile to make yourself look unique or convey what you’re interested in. For Kayla and JD, they found a happily ever after but what about for the rest of us?
