It’s safe to say that we’ve all wrestled with the idea of entering the world of online dating. Some of us have actually downloaded dating apps to see what all the buzz is about. Dating apps like Tinder, Bumble or Hinge have been around for years but spiked in use during the pandemic. 

There are many reasons why people might join dating apps. It might be a coping mechanism for a rough breakup with your high school sweetheart or your roommate snatching your phone and making a profile. The possibilities are endless when it comes to the types of people who end up on a dating app, but often, once you join, you can’t give it up. 

Tinder and Bumble, along with other dating apps, have such a hook-up type of reputation that people tend to forget there is beauty behind it all. Although there are questionable dates that come from these apps, through all that digging, it’s worth it when you find someone special to connect with. These apps open you up to people you wouldn’t generally meet on a day-to-day basis. 

The best thing about meeting these strangers is the adventure and openness of it all. You just never know.

Just like real-life dating, online dating has its ups and downs. While it’s nice hitting it off with a stranger who has the same interests as you do and getting the giddy feeling of having a crush, it takes a lot of swiping to find even just one person you kind of like.

Thousands of people on dating apps join with a different purpose. Some might be looking for something more casual with no strings attached while others are looking for a steady relationship. 

Then there’s the group I fall in: The ones who have no idea what they’re doing and aren’t exactly looking for something serious but are also not against the idea. This essentially ends up in lots of friend-zoning.

There are so many possibilities when you encounter a profile. You can either swipe right or swipe left, or if you’re feeling bold and spicy you can even Super Like someone on Tinder, SuperSwipe someone on Bumble or give a “rose” on Hinge. You can match or unmatch with the person. It hurts a little bit if you don’t match with someone you really liked, and you get a bit sad. This sadness only lasts about two minutes, though, until you come across another appealing profile on the app and forget all about the 6’2 football jock with a cute dog. 

It’s difficult navigating through masses of people on these dating apps because you don’t know what their intentions are for connecting with you and, of course, because they’re complete strangers. But there’s nothing like the exhilarating feeling you get when you have a pleasing back-and-forth conversation with a match. 

The best thing about meeting these strangers is the adventure and openness of it all. You just never know. Maybe you thought your type was tall, athletic brunette boys, but joining these apps opens your mind to other types of people you never thought you would be attracted to. That athletic jock type might shift to an intelligent nerd who loves Harry Potter. 

If you don’t find your next significant other on Bumble, you’ll definitely find your next funny story to tell at parties.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had plenty of horrible dating experiences that have permanently made my “top 10 stories I have to tell at parties,” but the good ones definitely outweigh the trauma I’ve gotten from the bad ones.  

I think one of the funniest dates I’ve been on consisted of a guy I met on Tinder taking out a tape measure and measuring his height to prove to me he was actually 5’10. Nothing like a good old tape measure in your back pocket to verify that height on your baseball roster. 

Recently, I went out with a guy on Bumble and we had a conversation sparked from our very different views on Freud. Did I think this guy was going to be my soulmate right off the bat? Absolutely not. 

When you sign up for these apps, the bar is set so low, but the possibility that a person could be someone you form a connection with is an inexplicable thrill. We actually went on a couple of dates and they went significantly well. The spontaneity of the dates ranged from buying sushi and chocolate-covered espresso beans at Trader Joe’s to getting coffee and walking through the city. 

I’ll let you be the judge of whether or not dating apps are your choice of meeting your next soulmate or next fling. Look at the bright side, though: If you don’t find your next significant other on Bumble, you’ll definitely find your next funny story to tell at parties. 

The beauty of dating apps is that they take you out of your comfort zone. Is there a possibility that the person behind that profile is a completely different person? Yes, but you’ll never know unless you allow yourself to go out with the people you meet. If you’re thinking about joining a dating app, just do it. We all need to stop hating on dating apps and consider downloading one. The world is too big a place for us to limit ourselves to what’s within our insular community. You might be surprised by what you find.