One quick swipe right or left can determine the fate of a potential relationship.
Tinder, a popular dating app that allows users to browse photos of potential matches in their vicinity, sees 1.5 billion "swipes," or likes or dislikes on profiles, a day. But it's not always loved.
Alex Crunk, a sophomore telecommunications major, downloaded Tinder for a week before she deleted it. She didn't like it at first — not until the random compliments started coming in.
She later deleted it because she wasn’t interested in hooking up, and she started receiving creepy messages from her matches.
“I believe about 50 percent of people using Tinder are looking for a hookup, because they will straight up tell you that," Crunk said. "The other 50 percent I think use it for fun, entertainment and a nice confidence boost."
Tinder's vice president of communications and branding, Rosette Pambakian, said 80 percent of users are between the ages of 18 and 34.
The app makes it easy for often busy college students to explore dating opportunities when they don't have time for long-term relationships, said George Gaither, an associate professor of psychology.
“There’s so many different time pressures — from work, to school, to family and everything else — it’s easier to look for short-term effects than relationships,” said Gaither.
But maybe Tinder isn't creating as many hookups as some think. Melinda Messineo, the chairperson of the Department of Sociology, said it is used less than people think. She said the biggest challenge with Tinder is participation of people who have a misconception that more people are hooking up than really are.
“Obviously connecting with individuals has always been something that people have been engaging with, but the ease of technology adds to its appeal," Messineo said.
Jon Bell, a sophomore music media production major, said Tinder is used more for hooking up because it primarily emphasizes surface-level attraction instead of a deeper connection.
Bell had matched with a girl in the past, and a friendly relationship blossomed. After hanging out with her several times and going to parties with her, Bell found out she had a boyfriend.
“I do not know if my experience is typical amongst the Tinder population, but it has definitely affected the way I approach relationships,” Bell said. “I am much more cautious and slightly more cynical toward the idea of dating.”
Gaither said Tinder doesn't make people cheat on their partners, but it gives them a tool to do it.
The same idea goes for the types of people who utilize Tinder, Gaither said. Those on Tinder tend to be people looking for more short-term activities than those looking for a long-term relationship, Gaither said.
"It's like McDonald's," Gaither said. "Why spend the time cooking a meal when you can order McDonald’s and get it much quicker and cheaper."
Social media forums, including Tinder, provide an outlet for those who desire affirmation, Messineo said.
“Especially [with] young adults, one primary developmental challenge working through this age is acceptance,” said Messineo.
There are gender differences of what the expectations are for using Tinder, Messineo said. A lot of people using Tinder believe sexual consent comes with a relationship, she said.
“The range of what people define as 'hooking up' is quite broad,” Messineo said.
However, Spencer Sabinske, a senior criminal justice major, said he likes Tinder because he can take just five minutes out of the day and talk to someone he wouldn’t have otherwise.
“People who are using it for casual connections are just substituting it for going to bars and acting the same way there, and people using it for serious relationships are using it like another dating site,” Sabinske said.
Gaither said using that substitution for going to bars could lead to safer sex, because people probably aren't drunk when they're meeting up, and they have had time to talk about protection and what they're looking for from the meeting.
It creates a difference between meeting at bars and only focusing on what they need to do to get the other person to go home with them, he said.
“As a society, we are changing a lot of our ways, what we expect of women and what we expect of men,” Gaither said.
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