Tinder: The Student Experience

Recently, the Digital Tattoo Project team reviewed online dating and Tinder, the popular mobile dating app that has taken thousands of singles (and their smart phones) by storm. To find out a little bit more about Tinder and what makes the app so popular, particularly among young singles, we interviewed 4 UBC students on their personal experiences with this fiery app. Though the panel chose to remain anonymous, their sex and ages are displayed below. Here’s what they had to say:

M: 21, female

C: 22, male

J: 23, female

D: 22, male

Why did you decide to download Tinder?

M: All of my friends went on it over the summer. I held out for a bit, but just decided to give it a shot. It was pretty entertaining over the summer.

C: I was bored and it sounded like a good time.

J: Honestly, as a joke at first. I wanted to see who was on there that I knew.

D: The Vancouver dating scene is pretty abysmal.

Had you ever used any other digital dating platforms before (Ex. online dating websites, other mobile apps, etc.)?

M: No.

C: No.

J: I was on Plenty of Fish for a couple of months, but wasn’t that active on it. I didn’t really like it.

D: My friends signed me up for some Lava Life and Christian Mingle… but that was mostly a joke.

What makes Tinder different from online dating or other dating apps?

M: I had at least a couple mutual friends with most of the guys on there, so it wasn’t completely random and didn’t feel as forced as online dating. It was more like meeting someone through social media – you already know who their friends are and what they’re probably going to be like.

C: It’s quick and easy, and it doesn’t require a lot of commitment since you sign up through Facebook.

J: You can only talk to people if you both  like each other, so there’s guaranteed mutual interest right off the bat. With online dating, you get a lot of creeps and unwanted messages, but on Tinder you can control who can talk to you.

D: There’s no pressure really. You can talk to someone if you want to, and since you set your ages and location preference, most people end up being from UBC and having mutual friends with you.

Have you ever gone on a date with someone you met on Tinder?

M: Yes, a couple times.

C: I’ve gone on a bunch, but mostly just for a beer or coffee. Nothing too intense.

J: Yeah, a couple times.

D: Yeah, quite a lot actually.

Were you ever concerned about your privacy when using Tinder?

M: Not really. But I was mainly just worried that [Tinder] might post things on my Facebook page, but that never happened.

C: No. Your profile only shows your first name and initial, plus a couple of photos. It’s up to you what you tell people after that.

J: I thought it was weird how the people would always know how far away you were from them, even if you hadn’t liked them yet. But I was never really concerned about privacy since the location provider was really vague.

D: No because profiles on Tinder are so limited – you don’t really know enough about the person for it to be creepy.

Would you recommend this app to your friends? Why or why not?

M: I would recommend it to my friends, but not for finding someone to date. People on there aren’t looking for someone to date.

C: Definitely. Regardless of what other people say, it’s harmless and really entertaining. You’re in control of who you talk to and what kind of experience you have on there, so it works for everyone.

J: Yes, I would recommend it to my friends. It was pretty fun and funny talking to other people, especially people who you kind of know through friends, but not well enough to talk to them without being prompted by something like Tinder.

D: For sure. I talked to a bunch of cool people on Tinder

Do you still use Tinder today? Why or why not?

M: No, I deleted it a couple months ago. It was fun for a while, but it wasn’t for me.

C: Yes, but not as much as over the summer. It’s definitely died down a bit since then.

J: I still have it, but hardly use it any more. I’m contemplating deleting it.

D: I still use it sometimes, but not as much. It’s still fun, but I feel like the novelty is kind of wearing off.

 

Have you or your friends ever tried using Tinder? What about other online or mobile dating platforms? Were you ever concerned with your privacy? Why or why not?

Share your thoughts in the comments below!