Love in the time of smart technology

What are the implications of dating apps on our psychology? Iqra Choudhry explains that our brains adapt to new technology, while Amanda Yap argues that the rise of Tinder indicates the end of romance.

Iqra Choudhry
15th February 2016

For

Tinder. Whether you’re an avid user or a hopeless romantic who steers clear of Tinder and its focus on first impressions, the app that introduced our generation to online dating has its positives. With Newcastle University being one of the universities with the most Tinder users, there’s got to be something there, right?

Tinder allows for a little self-esteem boost – seeing those matches when you’re taking a break from revision (or your dissertation, oops) is a nice little reminder of your own awesomeness. And it goes both ways.

Social anxiety and shyness plague some of us – these aren’t issues when you have a chance to construct your replies to a message from a match. Tinder gives some of us a chance to let others see just how singularly witty we can be, allowing for a buffer zone. It also takes away the pressure on a date, because you’ve already been chatting for a while.

Experts have found that Tinder does mimic the world of dating – in experiments that matched people on ‘compatibility factors’ like interests, moral standpoints and psychological compatibility, the participants only got on with those they’d been matched with if they were attracted to them, too. We’re just a shallow race and Tinder embraces that.

In our technosexual era, swiping right to someone on Tinder is more pleasurable than awkwardly making eyes at someone in a bar; swiping is a statement of appreciation.

Tinder has been referred to as a ‘hook-up’ app. And it can be. But in our technosexual era, swiping right to someone on Tinder is more pleasurable than awkwardly making eyes at someone in a bar; swiping is a statement of appreciation. Similarly, for those of us who aren’t heterosexual, Tinder lets you know who you actually have a chance with – nothing is worse than finding out that your crush bats for a different team.

Tinder also allows us to meet people we wouldn’t normally run into – Newcastle’s a big campus, and if you’re not on the same course/in the same societies, how likely are you to run into some of the people that Tinder’s algorithms would throw in your path?

In short – Tinder’s not all bad. And if you need a little dissertation distraction – what’s the worst that could happen?

 

Against

All of you cynical single souls might be thinking: should I download Tinder? Don’t try to deny it: unless you belong to the category who perpetually send cringe-worthy and mawkish messages to your significant other.

Tinder is a dating app that allows users to either swipe left to ‘pass’ or right to express interest. The user profile is completed using interests, distance and mutual friends, so the chances of finding your other half is significantly higher.

On a quest to finding The One in the shortest time possible, apps like Tinder are a great option. Find someone dishy, swipe right; if somebody gathers up the courage to talk, conversations could lead to a date. When you finally meet in person, if both of you don’t really get on like a house on fire, you could just hook up for the night and bid sayonara the next morning. The unspoken rule is: no hard feelings and no strings attached. There are people who want to find love, but there is also the significant majority of the 50 million users who have other intentions.

Tinder makes people search for superficial aesthetic perfection because that’s the most accurate feature anybody can use to judge

Apps like Tinder have destroyed the true meaning of romance, what happened to the old days of innocent love of our grandparents? The courtship, the falling in love, getting married and staying together?

This generation has a commitment phobia and are more committed to staying single because that is when all the fun happens. The fear is that less people will get to experience true love, becoming disillusioned in the process, viewing it as a useless risk to take and then giving up. Moreover, Tinder makes people search for superficial aesthetic perfection because that’s the most accurate feature anybody can use to judge. The options are infinite, because we come into contact with thousands daily within our 500 metre radius, further elevating our standards.

As for me, Tinder makes me question my judgement as I swipe, because grainy shots taken at some dimly-lit bar are extremely unconvincing. For those who want to find somebody to embark on a genuine relationship with, it’d be better to rely on recommendations from friends. Find true love on Tinder? I think the chances are a million to one.

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