I admit that I started writing this story with some hesitation. It is illegal for people under the age of 18 to use dating apps, and many students are embarrassed to publicly share such an intimate part of their lives.
For those reasons, I chose to keep my interviewees β all of whom are seniors β anonymous. All names in this story have been changed, and the resemblance of any pseudonym to the name of any Urban student is completely coincidental. Tinder, the most popular of the dating apps used by teenagers, has become widespread in the Urban community in recent years and offers an alternative to meeting people in person.
Over time, though, his engagement with the app has changed. Tinder can also simply offer people more options. The app can be particularly attractive to people for whom hookup culture at Urban is unrewarding.
The endless possibility of matches on Tinder has drawbacks, according to Zaloom. One person usually the guy in a heterosexual situation will send a message, often making a joke. If a conversation goes well, people will often exchange Snapchats and move the conversation away from Tinder. For others, however, Tinder use has remained exclusively online.
But for some, Tinder has paved the way for lasting relationships. Louis and Beth are both currently in relationships with people they met through Tinder. For others, however, Tinder has soothed fears around online interaction. Some of the students with whom I spoke were under 18 when they made their accounts. In addition to lying about their age in order to create an account, some continued to lie to the people with whom they were messaging and meeting up.
