This entry has been sitting in my memory warehouse for weeks, and I decided it was finally time to pull the trigger on it since it’s such a prolific topic of pop culture.
Tinder. Oh what fun we can have with it. I, for one, have no shame when it comes to marketing myself. But I don’t think the “marketing” I’m referring to correlates with the “marketing” that most people think of when they look at Tinder. You see, for me Tinder is a mechanism to meet like-minded people without expectations. I can honestly say that I’ve made some incredibly good friends through the app (you know who you are). A VERY small percentage of which leading to anything more than a friendly conversation or platonic interaction. In fact, despite having a profile for the better part of a year and a half, I doubt I’ve been on more than five or so real dates as a result. Only two of which have led to anything more, and even then it ultimately just ended up being a friend thing. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m at a point in my life where it would be selfish of me to try and foster a relationship when I’m so focused on getting a foothold with the whole writing thing. Granted, that’s slowly beginning to change – but I’m not going to get ahead of myself.
So for me personally, Tinder has been great for meeting people I really connect with on an intellectual level. That said, I’ve definitely noticed the “other” purposes it serves – which I must admit, has been a bit entertaining to witness. I say entertaining, but I think a more appropriate word would be depressing.
See, Tinder seems to exacerbate a very shallow component of humanity. Don’t get me wrong (for those of you fellow users out there), there are definitely a fair share of people who use it in a similar context as myself. But in far too many cases, it’s created a bit of a breeding ground for all things shady people can represent.Don’t get me wrong – I’m sure plenty of great relationships have been forged as a result of the service. But I think plenty have been destroyed as a result of it as well.
It seems as if in far too many instances, it’s an outlet for a person to project an image of themselves that they WANT people to perceive – when in reality the situation is something totally different. Now normally, most people would ask “well how is that different than any other situation?” After all, that’s kind of how humanity functions in the first place. But in the real world, a person is at least required to put forth a certain amount of effort in the pursuit of someone, which weeds out the ones just grasping for the low-hanging fruit. In the Tinderverse, it’s as simple as a few smooth one-liners and a subscription to Netflix to convince someone to “hang out”. And this can present a problem. At least with those who are actually looking for a real connection (and for those who ARE looking for hook ups, I’m not judging – to each their own IMO). And who knows, maybe I’m being too pessimistic. But I think when the foundation of an interaction with someone is based upon six photos and a limited personal bio, it’s sort of like you’re just asking for a meeting with little to no substance.
I don’t know. Maybe I’m being too harsh on something that’s really just an easy way for people to meet each other. But I still have trouble shaking the notion that it makes it too easy for people with the wrong intentions.
But whatever. Life is life I suppose, and who am I to judge? At the end of the day, I think we’re all smart enough to know what we get ourselves into. As always, these are just the random thoughts that decide to manifest themselves in this annoying brain of mine.
Time to start swiping I guess.
How the World Should Work 