Swipe Me Maybe?

Tinder is an app that allows users to view potential partners nearby. Photo Courtesy / Tinder
Tinder is an app that allows users to view potential partners nearby. Photo Courtesy / Tinder
Tinder is an app that allows users to view potential partners nearby.
Photo Courtesy / Tinder

By Jessica Kwitter
SC Contributing Writer

As a college student, I believe most of our lives are mainly spent online through the use of social media and networks.

As it gets harder for people to meet “that special someone,” the popularity of dating apps, such as Plenty of Fish, Hinge, or Tinder, has caught the attention of many students on college campuses.

These apps make it easy, with just a swipe, to have the opportunity to talk and possibly meet with a person you believe is attractive and would like to get to know.

Opinions of dating apps vary widely on campus from those not using them at all, to those using them all the time to meet possible partners.

With help from Twitter, I asked ESU students what their opinions were on dating apps, and how these sites affected their love lives.

Many ESU students have been getting excited about the popularity of dating apps, mainly Tinder.

Tinder is an app that allows you to view potential partners nearby and either swipe right to like, or left to pass if you are uninterested. Students say that they’re eager to start using the app and meeting new people throughout the ESU community.

A significant number of students have admitted that they met their present boyfriend or girlfriend on a dating app.

Most students who support dating apps find the mutual friend function that corresponds with Facebook to be helpful when swiping left or right.

Dating app supporter and ESU student Koley Wonder states, “I don’t see a problem with dating apps, there’s some success! So whatever floats your boat, just be smart.”

It is important, however, to keep a few things in mind when interacting with people on these apps.

Not everyone you talk to is who he or she says they are. This is not an uncommon problem, so safety should be your number one priority.

If you do decide to go on a Tinder date, make sure it is in a public place, and let someone know where you’re going.

On the other hand, some ESU students do not feel so positively toward the apps.

Students said they don’t use dating apps because they think people that do use them are only looking for sex and nothing more.

For example, they feel that Tinder, on many college campuses, is very casual sex-focused, and most students are just looking for a quick hookup.

But most opposed students either believe they don’t need dating apps to meet new people, or are already in committed relationships.

Either way, they believe that dating apps cause nothing but trouble for both parties involved.

Another ESU student, Taylor Hutchings, writes, “I think dating apps don’t make the same connection as you would with meeting someone face-to-face.”

All in all, there seem to be many mixed opinions about dating apps on the ESU campus.

I hope people who dislike dating apps now realize what benefits are of using them and vice versa with supporters.

As the saying goes, “Don’t knock it till you try it.”

Email Jessica at:
jkwitter@live.esu.edu