It was love at first swipe.
Save the date, everyone. I’ve been taken with Tinder.
Named after the material that sets fires blazing, the free mobile dating app has made more than one billion matches since it launched in January of last year.
For those unfamiliar with Tinder, it’s like meeting people in real life, but better. At least that’s what the company states on its website.
Once you’ve signed up with your Facebook account, the app gives you a stack of potential matches.
Simply swipe right to “like” another user or swipe left to dismiss a Tinderer with a succinct “nope.”
What makes Tinder unique is that only users who express mutual interest are notified and able to message each other.
In the spirit of disclosure, let me confess that I initially joined Tinder with the sole intent of trolling users.
However, as I haphazardly swiped users left and right based on their haircuts and witty bio descriptions, everything changed when I started matching with attractive people.
What had merely been an entertaining remedy for car-bound restlessness suddenly became an addictive virtual venue for boosting my ego.
Who knew that a message from an attractive Texan saying “Lol your [sic] very handsome btw” could bring such a buzz?
I’m not the only one with whom the app has caught fire.
As reported March 13 by Anthony Ha for TechCrunch, the number of connections made per user has been on the rise as the app continues to hover on the top charts of the App Store.
While Tinder isn’t releasing information on the number of registered or active users, it’s evident with the number of matches doubling since December that more people are warming up to the idea of app dating.
Connections made have also led to an increasing number of marriages, as highlighted by the company’s Twitter account.
It may seem unsavory to tell your wedding guests that you met your spouse while sifting through local singles, but in reality, the app is merely encouraging people to do what people already do.
No one can truthfully claim exemption from making surface judgments based on the way someone looks or speaks, and we would be lying if we were to say that appearance never plays a role in romantic attraction.
Neither can I say that actively using to app as a place to find a date should be considered shameful.
After all, finding a date during FOCUS weekend is like shooting fish in a Baptist-affiliated barrel, yet it is, for the most part, considered socially acceptable.
The most important questions for me do not relate to matters of method but matters of intention.
What do we look for in romantic relationships? How do our intentions work with God’s purpose for our lives?
As humans made in the image of God, how willing are we to look past our judgments to see who God has made someone to be?
I’ve been using those questions as icebreakers for new matches. I’ll report back if I get any responses.
Jacob is a senior advertising major.
