Don't judge a book based on its Tinder profile

“Tinder is how people meet. It’s like real life, but better.”

What’s not to find appealing about the mobile dating app’s slogan? Whether new to the dating game or an experienced veteran when it comes to love, most of us loathe the process of securing a match. Tinder promises an experience that exceeds any we may encounter in “real life,” by basing its system almost entirely on users’ physical appearance, so they are not troubled by the task of finding a compatible personality.

To use Tinder is simple; opening the app gives users a few choice pictures of another user’s image. Swiping a finger right on one’s smartphone screen selects the other user as a potential match, but swiping left replaces that profile with another. To ensure that there is always a fresh variety of faces in their Tinder feed, users are able to set a distance range that they want the other users they view to be located within.

With the massive following Tinder has accrued, as Forbes reports over 1.2 billion profiles are swiped through every day, there have undoubtedly been countless dates arranged successfully due to the app. In fact, my best friend has been dating her last match for four months, which means I must afford Tinder at least some credit when it comes to romance. Yet, it is not the effectiveness of Tinder that I take issue with, but the entertainment value that has become associated with it. The repetitious swiping motion is not the cause of the entertainment the app provides. Amusement, instead, stems from the chance to review and judge other users based on their appearance.

In reality, upon first meeting someone, it is socially unacceptable to vocalize one’s criticisms with the other’s appearance, but on Tinder, this is what makes the app addictive. Sitting in our college dining hall, I watch my friends pass around their phones and make jokes about other users’ profiles. “I would never right swipe her, her face is weird,” and “This has to be a joke; do people like this really exist?” are just a few of the comments my friends toss around. Judging another based only on his or her appearance is inappropriate in any form, but an app designed to provide users with the task of sorting through the appearances of others needs its purpose and entertainment value to be reassessed.

A social media app formed with the supposed intention of creating love connections has largely turned into a forum for critiquing other members, solely on their looks. Why should we permit such a practice to continue, and why should ridiculing the looks of an individual with whom we will likely never cross paths be an acceptable form of entertainment?

In an age where low self-esteem in young adults has become an issue of national concern, apps like Tinder allow users to freely disrespect the image of other users. According to a study by DoSomething.org, 44 percent of high school-aged girls and 15 percent of boys believe their looks are inadequate, and are trying to lose weight. Looks are important to young adults, and a poor outlook on one’s own appearance can negatively affect one’s entire psyche, especially if these thoughts are reinforced by others. If it seems high school students are too young to be affected by social media like Tinder, think otherwise. Fox News reports that over seven percent of Tinder users range from 13 to 17 years old. At that age, Tinder cannot be seriously considered a dating app, but rather a place one turns to have their appearance assessed, and do so to others, for fun.

I do not have a Tinder profile, nor do I plan on downloading the app in the future. My experience of watching peers use the app has curbed any desire of mine to join the Tinder craze. I do not want to be the girl on the screen of a stranger’s phone, being shown to people for amusement. I am more than my appearance, we all are, and I do not find it entertaining to relegate myself to nothing more than my looks to others. Tinder markets itself as being better than reality, but if finding love easily means facing judgment lacking society’s niceties, I’ll stick to the old fashioned way. And if your goal is to meet someone in a way that’s better than real life, I doubt your search stops at Tinder, too.