By Victoria DiMartino, Staff Writer
Are dating apps still a thing right now? One thing Carrie Bradshaw never had to worry about was where to find a man! Even though that girl spent her whole life looking for, critiquing and analyzing relationships, she was never at a loss for one. We seem to not be as lucky. Although we have over 2,400 students on this campus, it really does seem like there is no one to date. We open the fridge that is Kurtz Lane and find nothing to eat as we shuffle through the 300 students walking down the road.
So, we turn to Tinder.
But, has COVID-19 made Tinder a possible cesspool for infection? Most people on that app are looking for a hook-up, not a relationship. So, while you go out with Tommy on Tuesday, Tommy might have gone out with Brenda on Sunday, and she may have gone out with Lauren on Saturday. There’s no way to be sure, but we can act extra cautious as we grill our potential date over the DMs.
And what about the information people put on there? Are you narrowing down your swipes because someone doesn’t have a mask on in a picture, or maybe there is unsavory political opinion in their bio? It seems that COVID-19 and politics go hand-in-hand right now. Whoever you were a fan of for the election says something about how you feel about masks.
So, what in a profile picture makes you swipe right, right now? I think we all laugh when that girl in the Tik Tok swipes right because “he knows Barack,” but has your criteria taken a turn this semester? The biggest thing you probably have decided if you have opened your dating app is whether you want something physical or virtual. Because at least according to the Tinder commercials I’ve seen on Hulu, people are using the app to find virtual dates. Now whether this is true or not doesn’t matter, what matters is what you are choosing to use the app for.
You have some questions to break down for yourself about how you’re going to use the app now. As women, we already had 20 things to worry about when we opened a location-based dating app. Creepy men are one thing, but now we may have to worry about creepy men who don’t wear a mask. I wonder though, have masks given us a small blessing? If you go on your tinder date and he’s awful, you can fully avoid a pity makeout because “sorry! I’m wearing my mask!”
If the basics of Tinder haven’t changed due to COVID-19 for you and you’re still ready to swipe right because your profile pic preference hasn’t changed, make sure you take a step back to think about the new safety that goes into a date. If you’re going to keep the flirt going on longer in the DMs to wait out the potential to meet in person, if you want to risk your health for something physical, how you will vet someone before you meet. Are you requiring a COVID test and quarantine? There are a lot of questions.
And what about if you are matching with someone on campus? Do you feel safer? You know that they are “clean” or at least cleaner than the general public in terms of COVID-19. Those random tests from Susquehanna don’t seem so bad now do they. Your boundaries may be different with someone off campus and someone on campus and that makes sense. You should filter out what your criteria is and how to keep yourself safe because your number one priority is you.
Whether you are keeping the app on your main screen or moving it to the hidden section of your iPhone, think about what you want to get out of it now and in the future. Are you moving forward with Tinder or are you pausing on swiping right?
