I say Hinge as I have been personally victimised by this app, but going off what I have heard from friends naturally, this counts for almost all of the apps. I can’t go anywhere without catching wind of story upon story created by them, some good and some bad of course.
Whether you’re on the apps or have heard of someone on the apps, they feel truly inescapable in this day and age. Therefore, like everyone else curiosity killed the cat and I found myself on there.
Undeniably, there have been highs – cute dates in your 20’s and campus romance. Who am I to turn down the perfect opportunity to romanticise the mundanity that is day-to-day uni life? As a result I can now also pride myself on my general knowledge of great places in the city. You meet a lot of lovely and like-minded people, and even if things do not blossom into this amazing whirlwind romance you do appreciate the time spent together.
Awkward, silent dates that seem to go on forever and the uncomfortable and persistent messages that sometimes follow
However, it is hard to turn a blind eye to the lows. Awkward, silent dates that seem to go on forever and the uncomfortable and persistent messages that sometimes follow. I can't forget to mention the fated moment when you finally show said love interest to your friends, and quickly discover they've all matched with them too.
Despite this, while the odds have not been in my favour, I know it’s working for someone! Hinge is not as completely flawed as I make it out to be, I think. This mixed bag honestly may be what keeps people coming back for more – some strange kind of Stockholm syndrome.
All in all, speaking from personal experience if there’s one thing I will say about using Dating Apps in university, is that it’s definitely(!) a learning experience. Albeit a little scarring; this extreme form of exposure therapy has forcibly made me more confident, arguably shameless and unapologetically myself going into these dates. This confidence has now bled into almost everything I do because you do begin to realise no one really cares, nothing is ever as embarrassing as you think and everyone is a little uncertain.