Online dating for this generation.
I have always thought dating sites were a lazy way to meet guys. We should be out in the world looking for love.
But three months ago my friends told me to download the online dating app Tinder. I did, and BAM! I was addicted..I was getting matches and I’m not going to lie that my self-confidence was booming!
I am a 5 feet 4 inches tall, 21-year-old brunette woman. My life revolves around being a university student who works part time. But I also enjoy a casual meal or coffee with friends.
With my busy schedule I rarely have the time to meet guys in the outside world.
Tinder allows people ages 18 to 50+ to find nearby single men and women, which can start a friendly conversation that can lead to something more face-to-face.
Tinder is a way for me to look at male singles in my area and get the chance to meet one or two of them and play the field.
In my first month using Tinder I had 60 matches. I met a couple of the men I was matched with, but nothing stuck. Conversations were friendly and active, so no complaints so far with any of my matches.
My profile on Tinder says, “I am not meant to be tamed. I want to run wild until someone will run just as wild as me.” 
Savaya Shinkaruk’s Tinder profile consists of “selfies,” her age and an “about” section for males to see.
Photo by Savaya Shinkaruk (screenshot).
Right now, Tinder is on everybody’s radar. Marie Claire, Vogue, and GQ all have published articles about this latest relationship finder.
Vogue magazine published an article, “Taking a Swipe at the Tinder Dating App,” by Karley Sciortino, a dating and relationship blogger at Slutever.com.
Scortino wrote that the shame people might have felt in the past from a one-night stand was changing. With an app like Tinder, men and women did not need to feel ashamed about hooking up, Scortino said, because Tinder makes possible a casual approach to the dating game.
Since this app is linked with Facebook, a user can load pictures to Tinder through his or her Facebook account. When you have set up your settings you can choose the sex, age, and search radius of your choice.
Tinder does all the heavy lifting for the user. Tinder uses GPS through Facebook to locate participating singles living near you.
Once pictures are uploaded and settings are up to your satisfaction the dating game begins.
Follow right on through to the Home button and start swiping! Swiping left on the photo means it’s a no-go. But if you swipe right then a match could be in the stars.
You will only know if someone likes you when you like them and receive a notification telling you you’ve been matched. You will then be prompted to start a friendly conversation.
Tinder only allows people to post a picture, tagline and age.
Tinder is not meant necessarily to find the love of one’s life. It could happen, but one can use it the same as many Tinder users–to meet people outside one’s group of friends–people with whom a relationship of any duration or a friendship could develop.
Celebrities and athletes use Tinder. At the Sochi 2014 Olympics, articles were streaming about how athletes in Sochi were using the app.
The United Kingdom’s Daily Mail posted an article on the Online Mail about American athlete Jamie Anderson being one of many athletes to use Tinder during the Olympic period.
Tinder does all the heavy lifting for you. It searches for your match in your age range and location. This is the home page of the dating app.
Photo by Savaya Shinkaruk (screenshot). Although Anderson deleted her in order to focus on competing, which did result in her winning the gold medal in women’s snowboard slopestyle, she said, “there are some cuties on there.”
Karley Skarlet, a Calgarian university student, found more than just a friend with benefits on Tinder, she found a boyfriend.
Skarlet is a young, attractive 19-year-old brunette who got the app during Stampede season in Calgary because her friends told her it would be a fun time.
“It was never my intention to meet anyone on Tinder,” she says.
But her on-and-off addiction to Tinder did land her match.
“One guy stood out. We talked on Tinder and then exchanged numbers and started texting, and then he asked me out and he was a good catch.”
Handsome male user Brett–he didn’t want his last name published–said he uses Tinder to meet girls with whom he can comfortably strike up varying levels of conversation.
“This app is very popular within my group of friends,” Brett said, “due to only giving information to the user that both parties have liked each other, showing interest to connect on whatever level it may be.
“A conversation can be started between two willing participants and until later decided no personal information is shared by the app.”