Alan Feuer writes in the New York Times that it has been three years since Tinder landed in New York City bringing its addictive right swipes and rabid style of flirting to the city’s inherently frenetic technologized dating culture turning the search for love (or at least a nearby body) into a Ritalin-paced video game. For those who are unfamiliar with it, Tinder is a matchmaking service that enables people to connect with one another through no more than a brief swipe on their smartphones. You look at a photo, tagged only with a name, an age and, with a tap, perhaps a short introduction, and then you vote yes by swiping to the right, or no by swiping left. With about one million Tinder users in New York, the largest market in the country, the app plays off our desire for instant gratification while avoiding the embarrassment of rejection, in what the company calls the “double opt-in”: a match between two users will occur only if they each signal that they like the other’s profile. The matched pair can then chat through Tinder’s messaging service and, perhaps, meet. “When you have a population of young, relatively affluent transients, schooled in technology, uprooted from their networks and hoping to find each other, the chances are they’ll look for a solution on their phones,” says Benjamin Karney.
Social scientists say apps like Tinder are incredibly effective at identifying a local population of potential mates and at helping people contact one another (through instant-message systems), particularly in large, anonymous places like New York, where traditional modes of introduction — family connections or religious institutions — might not be available. Of course, having too many options online can make it more difficult for some to choose and commit to just one person to go out with on a Friday night says Paul Eastwick, "It's called the 'paradox of choice,' " There’s tons of research that suggests "if people know they have lots of options, they feel less dependent on and committed to their current option,” says Karney. “If you want to leave your lover, there aren’t just 50 ways these days, there are 150,000 ways.”
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 18 2015, @12:59AM
Insert phone into vagina.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 18 2015, @01:45AM
Well, that's one way of getting a solution on your phone...
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 18 2015, @01:52AM
Then, someone have to insistently call.
(Score: 2) by zeigerpuppy on Wednesday February 18 2015, @06:02AM
I think you meant incessantly.
Anyway, there's an app for that, iVibrate (cydia only)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 18 2015, @03:34AM
that my "significant other" has 150,000 alternatives if I can't keep up with what she wants.
Sure makes me apprehensive about commitment of the wedding-bell kind.
Knowing the first spat and its lawyer time.
(Score: 3, Funny) by tibman on Wednesday February 18 2015, @03:52AM
Dude, fighting with your significant other is fantastic. You don't know what you're missing. You should see the size of her smile as her arm reaches around my throat. My only warning is a reflection from the black border around my displays. Don't be apprehensive about commitment. Launch yourself at her tooth and nail!
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
(Score: 4, Troll) by GungnirSniper on Wednesday February 18 2015, @04:01AM
If you've already been through a divorce once, why on earth would you set yourself up again in another tactically disadvantage? Marriage is a raw deal for men now, and with the deck firmly against you, [soylentnews.org] you'd have to be mad to want it again. Or socially conditioned to consider it the peak form of living.
Remember that you also have 150,000 alternatives, and if she smells the desperation on you, that will only push her towards other options.
Unless your goal is to reproduce, marriage has no benefits outside of tax law and healthcare benefits. Even then, you can live together and raise children without a license from the state.
Tips for better submissions to help our site grow. [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 4, Touché) by JeanCroix on Wednesday February 18 2015, @03:24PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 18 2015, @07:26PM
Why would you say "she" when talking about an app for gay dudes? Wait, never mind...