Between blind dates and the rise of online dating, finding love in this day and age can be an interesting experience.
One of the most popular online dating apps is Tinder, released in 2012, which allows users to make a mutual match with people based on age and location settings.
Because matches are based on proximity, it is inevitable that awkward moments can arise when Tinder matches who did not work out encounter each other again. Christian Shinners, a junior in the College of Engineering, is familiar with this discomfort.
“We went out to eat and there was clearly nothing we had in common,” Shinners said. “Since there was not much to talk about, there were a lot of awkward silences. Basically from the first minute we were both ready to leave and call it quits, but we wanted to be polite.”
That date might have been long forgotten if not for the fact that Shinners began to see his date frequently around his hometown. He said he did not foresee that problem when he first used the app to find matches in his area.
Another popular online dating app is Bumble, where females have the opportunity to message potential partners first. Yazmine Thomas, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, has used the app to start conversations with a couple of guys, and some of those conversations led to dates.
However, dates do not always go according to plan, particularly when the parties involved are not acquainted much beyond each other’s online profiles.
One time, Thomas said, her Bumble date seemed to have lied about his interests.
“It was weird because his profile said he liked to read a lot and hiked a ton. When I asked him about those things, he didn’t have any real answers for me and he seemed like he was just naming whatever came to him at the moment,” Thomas said. “I was weirded out that he would lie about simple things about his personality.”
For some students, dates can go well but still end up being uncomfortable.
Jack Thennisch, a freshman in the College of Business Administration, said he went on a Tinder date he thought was perfect until discovering the twist.
“I thought the date was going great and that there was going to definitely be a second one, too,” Thennisch said.
Unfortunately, Thennisch realized he was on a date with a friend’s ex-girlfriend.
“It wasn’t until we started talking about mutual friends that I realized who she really was,” he said. “It was uncomfortable for both of us in the end.”
Correction: a previous version of this article included a story and quote from Veronica Maniak. The information was not gathered firsthand and was removed. The Wire regrets this error.
