For the most part, everyone has heard of Tinder. But for those who haven't, or aren't familiar with the way it functions, Tinder is a dating app β mostly for college-aged students β that connects you with people based on location.
Tinder uses your approximate location to only show you persons within a certain radius. Essentially, a person makes an account including their age, multiple pictures, and a short bio. The app then displays this profile, with only your first name, to other people of your preferred gender on the app. If they are interested in you, they swipe right.
If not, they swipe left. You do the same. The most interesting and perhaps genius thing about Tinder is that no one you "swipe right" on will be notified that you "liked" them unless they also "swipe right" on you with the exception of the Super Like, which no one should ever use This system somewhat eliminates super awkward one-sided attraction and allows its users to filter who is able to message them.
Basically, the rest is self-explanatory. If you "match" with someone, you can message that person, talk to them, set up a date, etc. So enough about the technical aspects of Tinder. Let's get down to business and talk about the social reputation of Tinder. First, Tinder was really the first app of its kind. It was released in , two years before Bumble, another dating app, and five years before Hinge.
Marketed as a dating app, it quickly became seen as a "hookup" app. Rather than walking up to a stranger at a bar and trying to hit it off, you could flirt with strangers from the comfort of your own home. And then, if things went well, you could hook up with strangers.
