This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Amna Faheem. Find her on Instagram at @amnaf.aheem. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.

Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge are household names to those looking for love and relationships. Or a quick night of fun with no commitment. What used to be a platform meant for people to form genuine connections with like-minded people has turned into an application overridden with disingenuous and deceitful accounts. People who are truly looking for love don’t know if the people they are talking to are to be trusted and if they are true to their verbal intentions. Tinder is now notorious for being an application used almost solely for a quick connection and nothing long-lasting. A quick swipe, a swift “wyd,” followed by a brisk, sexually charged comment, and it’s over. You will probably never see or speak to that person again. That’s Tinder, and it’s slowly becoming the future of dating apps as a whole. Which is why people are turning to social media dating more and more. 

The Story of Dating Apps

Founded in 2012 by Sean Rad, Justin Mateen, and Jonathan Badeen, Tinder was meant to ease up the awkwardness that went into dating and talking to people. The easy swipe method wasn’t ill-intentioned but rather intended to be more interactive for users. Match.com and E-Harmony were too in-depth and serious, whereas Tinder was casual. It was easy to use and didn’t ask too many questions to discourage users from signing up. Tinder was big among younger people, specifically college students. It’s rare you would find someone under the age of 28 or higher looking for a serious committed relationship with the goal of getting married, much less a 22-year-old college student. 

But that’s what the dating apps and websites on the market were offering. So when something easier and more relaxed came along, everyone jumped at the opportunity to join. After three years on the market, the application was deemed the highest-grossing app on the Apple App Store. The application was able to process more than one billion swipes in a single day and reported that on average, users were spending 90 minutes on the app. Soon, it went global, appearing on app stores in 190 countries and in 45 languages. 

And yet, it still does not offer anything serious. 

Once people noticed that Tinder had basically just turned into hook-up central, they gravitated away from it, wanting something more serious but still casual. Cue Hinge. 

Their slogan, “The Dating App Designed to Be Deleted,” is meant to signify their high success rate, that you’re very likely to find a match and no longer need the dating application. 

Which is ironic because Hinge has the lowest success rate out of all three dating apps. 

Hinge was first introduced to the public in 2012, born by Harvard graduate Justin McLeod after his own heartbreak. In 2013, it transformed into a mobile application and was launched at a launch party using the last $25,000 of the available funding, becoming a big competitor with Tinder. 

The goal of the application was to be more authentic than Tinder. In 2018, Hinge was then bought out by Match Group, helping it grow and improve significantly. Hinge’s tagline is “The Dating App Designed to Be Deleted,” emphasizing its mission to help users find their true match and deep connections, not simply swipe left or right based on physical appearances. The objective is straightforward: find someone, go on dates, delete the app. And while it is a noble goal, they are not quite successful on paper. Only 5 percent of users reported that their time on the app led to meaningful relationships. However, of the 67 percent of Americans who have met their partners and subsequently got engaged on a dating app, 36 percent of those were met through Hinge. 

So it seems that that dating applications are giving social media dating a run for its money. 

Bumble is another one of the big three in the dating app market. Founded in 2014, the app was designed to give women more power in the dating realm. Instead of the guy being expected to make the first move, the platform used to require women to send the first message, a feature that has since been removed. What makes the application different, however, is that women can set what is called an “opening move” element where men can then respond to pre-determined questions decided by women. 

Contrasting Tinder and Hinge, 12.9 percent of those who met on Bumble in America have shared that they have gotten engaged. Though Tinder seems to hold the highest success rate- possibly due to its seniority- Bumble is still widely favorable in its outcomes. Like Hinge, you can select question prompts that best suit you and respond to them, allowing people to reply and start conversations. Tinder, on the other hand, does not offer that feature, only letting users upload pictures with short and sweet captions below. 

Dating Apps Versus Social Media

Dating apps, regardless of the platform, are not always the most accurate. People lie about their age, their names, and even their appearances. Someone who might put their status as wanting a relationship could actually just be looking for something casual. People are good at leading others on, lying to each other, creating fake personas, or just being mean in general. Dating apps are artificial because you curate your profile to a certain image you want the world to see. You aren’t always authentic in your prompts, your photos might not always be accurate. 

That’s why social media dating is sometimes more ideal. While your social media profiles are also often created to allow people to perceive you a certain way, it’s more likely to be authentic and display your true personality. Conversations on dating apps are overwhelmingly superficial, and people tend to respond based on what they think will make them sound the best. On social media, you’re able to connect with people who share the same interests as you. While dating platforms offer a wider selection of people, social media keeps things intimate and doesn’t bombard you with too many options. Social media dating can be more beneficial as it allows you to connect with others with similar experiences and passions. Though dating applications can be fruitful, meeting people on social media can lead to that special connection you’re looking for.

Have you met anyone on a dating app or do you prefer social media? Let us know in the comments below!