In Defense of Tinder
Tinder has a reputation.
If you have tinder on your phone, it’s there for one of two reasons.
- You’re looking to hook up and into keeping your pimp finger strong.
- You wanted to know what all the fuss was about, downloaded it, and completely forgot about it among the hundred other apps you don’t use.
But, there is a third way to justify tinder’s presence on your phone: instinct
At the core of dating is attraction. And tinder is an efficient, if cruel, way to sort through the dating pool. Yes, this tends to result in superficial and sometimes abrupt relationships, but this level of attraction is also a key to compatibility. I say A key, not THE key because of course there are dozens of other components to a happy and healthy relationship. The thing is, tinder doesn’t care about those. Well, maybe a little.
Tinder isn’t simply an app with attractive pictures of okay looking people. There are profiles to be written and read and chats to be had about everything and anything. Mostly sex, but other stuff too — if you’re not solely driven by sex that is.
So, am I saying tinder is a replacement for conventional dating? No, it’s more of a heightened version of dating that you can control with one hand. And I’m saying that’s not a bad thing — it is what it is — not one of the four horsemen bringing an end to romance in the digital world.
Tinder is about meeting people, just like any other social network or dating site/app. It’s stigma is undeserved.
A meet cute isn’t what defines relationships that were meant to be or built to last; they’re what define rom-com couples. You’re not in a movie, you’re in the real, digital world. Don’t pass judgment.
