Students Turn to Tinder
Young adults rely on their cellular devices to do everything from messaging friends, streaming music, taking and editing photographs and now, finding romance. Dating apps have become popular all-day, everyday singles clubs. Despite many of the apps requiring that users be over 18 years of age, some underage Exonians breach the age regulation and utilize the apps to seek off-campus relationships.
"The app’s innovation of the 'swipe,' a flick of a finger on a phone screen, facilitates a no-strings-attached method of meeting people without the fear of rejection"
The premise of most dating apps is simple—users can make an account by providing basic personal information, a photo and a profile indicating age, sexual preferences, hobbies, places of residence, etc. Afterwards, the app’s users are directed to an interface that introduces people in the area around them, and the users are given a choice to "swipe right"—display interest, or "swipe left"—pass. When two users both swipe right for each other, they are notified of their “match” and can message each other privately.
Leading app Tinder, with more than 50 million users and enabling 1 billion swipes a day, celebrated its fifth birthday last September. The app’s innovation of the "swipe," a flick of a finger on a phone screen, facilitates a no-strings-attached method of meeting people without the fear of rejection; users only know when they’ve been approved, never when they’ve been discarded.
In light of a year-long conversation on a purported campus hook-up culture, Exonians questioned why Tinder usage has become a trend, and whether it perpetuates a formidable hook-up culture.
Senior Ivy Tran cited validation as a reason why Exonians may turn to dating apps. “A lot of girls I know use it to see that guys actually like them and think they're pretty, because they don't really get that validation at Exeter,” she said. “They use Tinder to see that anonymous people like them and talk to them online.”
Tinder also gives students an opportunity to pursue relationships in confidentiality. "Having a relationship at Exeter is difficult sometimes because everyone talks when you get with someone at Exeter, but when you get with someone on Tinder, it's more anonymous. You can keep it more private,” Tran explained.
Lower Velen Wu believes that Tinder usage is rarely serious. “Some of my friends use Tinder, but it's very casual,” Wu said. “It's not like they go on it everyday looking for relationships, but I feel like they're just kind of checking it out and seeing what it's like.”
Health Instructor Carol Cahalane thought the sense of control and sanctuary that virtual courtship provides could be a reason why students would turn to Tinder. "I think in some ways the distance that working on a screen provides can feel like a safe zone—until you meet the person," she said.
As for the effect of Tinder usage on Exeter’s hook-up culture, lower Meili Gupta noted the possibility that it pushes people to become accepting of hooking up more. “Maybe people are starting to hook-up more with Tinder and then their friends see—the result is that it just increases the hook-up culture more in general.”
Tran agreed with Gupta's sentiments. "I feel like Tinder is mostly used for hook-ups, and I think that it definitely promotes a hook-up culture at Exeter. Although Tinder isn't super prevalent at Exeter anyway because there's already a hook-up culture, I think it does add to it," she said.
However, senior Vivi Kraus presented a different perspective, explaining that in her experience with the app, there is no unsolicited hook-up culture on Tinder. “There’s definitely a hook-up culture at Exeter but no one has ever explicitly asked me to hook-up with them on Tinder and I’ve never asked anyone to hook-up with me,” she said.
For senior Tabatha*, who has met with a few of her matches in her hometown and during the school year at Exeter, she said that dating apps expedite hook-ups, which can be convenient or detrimental, depending on the people involved and what they seek from Tinder usage.
“Hooking up is easy and Tinder makes it even easier. But this [culture] isn’t for everyone,” Tabatha said. “The casualness of dating apps makes it a matter of who cares less. It may leave people who were expecting a relationship, not just a one-time thing, feeling used, objectified and devalued.”
Regardless of whether or not Tinder usage impacts hook-up culture on campus, usage of dating apps certainly raises concern of student safety. According to Cahalane, there is no particular policy about usage of dating apps, but the Academy expects honesty in all electronic usage of the Academy's system.
"I think in all situations that involve where you don't know people well and very little information is given, you have very little to vet who that person is and whether you should be spending time with them," Cahalane said.
*pseudonym to protect anonymity