Dating and relationships in the modern world can be complicated. Long gone are the days of courtships. The new norm when it comes to dating is hookups, ghosting, and being so vague that nobody knows what the hell is happening. And to spice that up even more, we now have a global pandemic which has forced everyone to become more separated and distant than ever before in our lifetime. So, after reflecting on how lonely I was last year, I decided I would finally give the online dating scene a chance. I mean it’s 2021, a new year and a new beginning, might as well start it out with a bang. I decided to download the top three most popular dating apps and give them a try for at least a month. It doesn’t hurt to try and put your out there right? Well, I am here to give you my reviews of these apps from my little experiment and let you know what I liked about each one and what I really could have done without. So, if you are interested in trying out this new way of dating, then keep on reading because this is the article for you.
HINGE So, first I decided to start with Hinge. Based on what my friends have told me, this is the safest bet for trying to find a true relationship from the online dating world. Hinge brands itself as the “app designed to be deleted” and no not because you didn’t like it, but because you have actually made a real connection with someone and do not want to use dating apps anymore. Hinge sets up their profiles by having multiple pictures with optional prompts and a series of questions that you can answer on your profile. What makes this app unique is that instead of the traditional swiping left or right, you are made to like a certain part of the person’s profile. This helps you to see actually what you liked about a person and is a great conversation starter. I feel like this method makes you give more people a chance than you would have by just looking at one picture of them before deciding to swipe. The downside to this though is that you do have to put more effort in, which is good on one hand since it weeds out the guys who don’t care as much, but then at the same time it was exhausting for me to keep up with. One reason that I did not like Hinge was that I could not change the height preferences on the free version of this app. Being a girl who is 5’10, it’s a bit annoying when Hinge puts up someone who is 5’6 on my list, like doesn’t your algorithm understand that I don’t really want to be with a guy half my height? Like come on Hinge, help a girl out here. But anyways, I met some decent people through this app that did want to have genuine conversations with me. I will say though that this app was not my favorite out of the three. One of these reasons is that Hinge seems to want to make you pay for a lot of things, like to see more of the people that it thinks would actually be good matches for you. This really annoyed me. But, one positive thing I can take away from this app is that I met one guy the day before I deleted it and he seems to be a frontrunner at the moment, so maybe something will come from that. BUMBLE The next app I downloaded was Bumble, which is marketed as the feminist dating app or female empowered Tinder. Bumble is like a hybrid of Hinge and Tinder, not too hot or too cold, but just right. It has a good mix between the swiping feature, but also having good prompts and questions to start conversations with. The unique thing about Bumble is that the girls have to initiate the conversation. This was put into place primarily to weed out the creepy guys and to give the power back to the women, but honestly with my personality, I wasn’t the biggest fan of it. I kind of like having the cheesy pickup line from the guy, so that was a downside for me on this app. Another feature that Bumble has is that once you match with a person, there is a 24-hour time limit where you have to message them. This puts some pressure on the situation and I didn’t like it personally. This is because I do not keep up with things on my phone too much especially on my work days since we are not allowed to be on our phones. I’ve timed out on a lot of matches before. But even with that, I did really like some of the matches that I got on this app. While I did get more guys who just wanted something casual or a hookup, I still got many people that were more into finding someone to exclusively date, which was very nice. I would probably say that out of the three apps I used, Bumble was my favorite since it had features that I liked from the other two. TINDER Oh Tinder, the app that started it all. Believe it or not, I actually got a Tinder for a few days when I was in high school. Since I had made my Facebook at such an early age, I lied about what year I was born in back then, so it thought I was much older than I really was. That’s why you can’t always trust everyone you meet on the Internet people!! Catfishing is real. But anyways, you probably already know about Tinder’s layout and method. It is the one that made swiping a thing. Tinder allows you to have a short bio under your pictures, which people usually put a funny quote or their Instagram or Snapchat. Some even their OnlyFans account. This part I don’t like because I feel as if the questions on other apps allow you to get to know the personality a little more, so it makes this whole process feel a little bit less shallow. You can only tell so much about a person from a few pictures. This sort of dehumanization of people is probably one of the reasons why Tinder has the reputation out of all of these apps as being the one for hookups or short-term flings. But, I have heard many stories and know of many people that have met their significant other on this app. I think the biggest advantage of using Tinder is that they have the largest user base, so you’re more likely to meet someone who is your type or that you could get along with. Even though there are those individuals on dating apps who do not have the best intentions, there are those that do want a genuine connection. So, I wouldn’t completely give up on Tinder yet. You might just have to put in a little more effort in weeding out the good from the bad, but it could potentially be worth it in the end. So, to sum everything up, online dating can be very exhausting and time consuming. You will get the high of having all of these matches at first due to the algorithms pushing new members onto more feeds, but after a while, the fun will slow down a bit. A positive of dating apps is that you will come across many people that you would not have even known existed otherwise, so your options have expanded. But, the downside is that you have to search through these options to find the gems that are truly worth your time and energy. Online dating is a world where you can find any type of relationship based on what you are looking for at the time, which can be nice. But, for those old souls like myself, it can feel a little emotionless and devoid that romantic feeling we have always longed for in a love story. I will say though that I think I might have met a good one from this experience, so maybe it was all worth it in the end. I would recommend if you have ever considered using dating apps, now is the best time to use them since so many people have chosen or been forced to use them given the world we live in today. So, go for it! Live your life and have new experiences, but remember, at the end of the day, you do not need anyone to complete you or make you worthy. You alone are enough! Love you guys and thanks for reading! Leave us a comment about your recent dating experiences, fails and successes, and follow us on Instagram and Pinterest @ShesSpeakingBlog for more girl talk and college/life advice!
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AuthorsBrynn Powers Archives
May 2021
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