Sydney Stam
(Graphic by Sydney Stam | The Daily Utah Chronicle)
October 20, 2022
On Sept. 12, 2022, the dating app Tinder turned 10 years old. I haven’t been active on dating apps for almost a year now, but I remember how it felt to use them. I remember scrolling for hours and hours, less to find someone I was interested in and more out of total boredom.
When I would match with someone, I always felt too awkward to message first. I’m sure many others share my experience. Seventy-five percent of adults aged 18 to 24 have reported using Tinder at least once. The same study reports that Tinder is the app of choice for most college students.
The way we date has shifted dramatically in the past 10 years. With dating apps becoming the norm and making the dating pool larger than ever before, I wonder if technology has truly made it easier to make romantic connections. From what I’ve seen, apps like Tinder have only made it harder to make those connections, and we need to adapt.
Dating in the Modern Day
Anyone who has opened a dating app before can tell you how much they focus on physical appearance. Most apps only require four things: name, age, location and a picture. While you can go above and beyond and add a bio or a Spotify anthem, most accounts provide nothing more than a few pictures to go off of. This brings physical appearance to the forefront of any sort of romantic interaction. When the only thing to go off of on someone’s profile is their appearance, it puts more pressure on you. According to a study conducted by the American Psychological Association, Tinder users on average report lower satisfaction with their body and looks than those who don’t use the app.
On top of the added pressures and impact dating apps can have on self-esteem, many people in the modern day are unhappy with their dating lives. Compared to data from 10 years ago, people are much less content with their dating experience. In a study done by Pew, 67% of people saw their dating lives as not going well. During the pandemic, Tinder saw usage of the app soar. The company even calls 2020 their “busiest year.”
There are other issues with Tinder and other dating apps like it. A …….