46
Culture
SWIPE RIGHT CULTURE
Online
Dating
The worldwide web feels just as natural a social sphere to millennials as a town center or a sports bar. People often meet at work, through friends or family, religious functions and casual public spaces, but as of the 21st century, online dating has made its way into the myriad of avenues to meet your partner. There are so many benefits to these online interactions: first, it saves us time. Face-to-face, we often suffer the awkward date where we realize we share nothing in common. Through instant messages, we can gather each other’s common interests then mutually decide to meet. Second, it broadens the scope. Most working millennials have a weekly routine that keeps them within the same circles. Even in college, once you’ve settled into your major and clubs, it’s all too easy to stick to the same social groups. With apps like Tinder and Bumble, you can meet people nearby that you might not have otherwise met. Third, there is a subtle gratification that you get knowing somebody somewhere is interested in you. In the same way that we receive validation and satisfaction from a retweet or an Instagram like, we get that very feeling from the notification that someone “Swiped Right!” There is always the risk of being “Catfished,” or reeled in by someone who claims to be they are someone that they are not, but with the technology we have today, there is no reason anyone should prolong a video chat or FaceTime call with someone you are potentially interested in. If they deny it more than once, abort mission—there are Plenty of Fish in the sea. Given the benefits, it is easy to put yourself out there from the safety behind a profile. Users have admitted that they will reach out to individuals they would not have otherwise reached out to in person. Access to hundreds of people at a time allows the browser to go on more dates as well as to converse with the many other browsers doing the same thing.
But have we been hindered by choice? What are the consequences to talking to four, five, six people at a time and going on dates with three others, knowing there are still dozens who have already swiped right on you? Especially online, the idea of “better” is constantly shoved down our throats. When the people we meet are steadily in comparison with a far-off fantasy of a person that we *could* meet, we run the risk of having watered-down, subpar personal interactions. How can we hold hands with the person next to us when it is always reaching for more? Accessibility is great, but if it prevents us from enjoying the here and now, maybe that is a sign for us to step back from our screens and go at it from a different angle. Doesn’t sound like you? Then by all means, swipe away.
About the Blogger Aris Brown is a Creative Writing major at the University of Houston. She is a poetry editor for the publication Glass Mountain Magazine with credits in theater directing, acting, and a cappella performance. She runs the writer’s blog Darling, It’s Sunday and the poetry Instagram under the same name. In the future, she aims to have her work published in The New York Times as well as to pursue a career in Screenwriting for a major TV or streaming network. She is thrilled to be on board with the Afrovibes Media team to develop her voice and vision for both the station and her independent work.
