Tinder: A Modern Guide to Safe online Dating

Tinder: A modern guide to safe online dating

        It’s completely nerve racking to meet someone that you’ve only spoken to online in-person for the first time. I have personally had my fair share of bad experiences: people not looking like their photos, being too pushy and making me uncomfortable, only looking for a quick hookup. However, not all experiences are like this. Millennials are criticized for their openness to meeting people online (often referred to as “hookup culture”), regardless of previous experience or the numerous warnings we receive from our parents, teachers, and occasionally our peers. How is meeting someone online that much different from meeting someone in a bar? There is always the risk of someone not being who they said they were or having less than noble intentions, but there are ways to use online databases to meet people in a safe way.

        It is easy to fabricate who you are on the internet, but it is not very often that you will see someone with an entirely made up past online. It is more likely that when looking to meet people online, you will be told white lies to make themselves sound better. This is precisely what most people use the internet for; we present a better image of ourselves and leave out the dark and negative things going on. We hear about the more drastic experiences this most often in the media: adults who catfish children, bullies pretending to be someone else, anonymous users. The above situations are not the most common experience people of my generation have online.

        Everyone has a personal agenda, and many do not account for how their actions might impact others. This statement is true in the context of online relationships and hookup culture; hence why the concept of online dating is considered so dangerous for young girls and women.

        There are many ways to avoid being in a dangerous situation with a personal you may have only met online. There are more classic ways: going to a busy public place, having your friends be in the same area or in view. However, my friends and I have become more creative with our posse-protection; We have begun using technology to alleviate some of the stress and awkwardness. Our favourite tool is Snapchat. Snapchat has a feature called SnapMap, where it updates your location every time the application is opened. Your location is only available to your friends or a list of approved people. When one of my girl friends goes on a date with a new guy, she must update her location every 10-15 minutes; if this does not happen then she gets a phone call that must be answered.