The popular dating app Tinder has aged like boxed wine left in the car overnight after themed frat party- grosser over time, but many of us are still drinking it.
With a notorious reputation for hookups rather than producing healthy, long-lasting relationships, a slew of apps have been curated to combat the modern-day absence of romance. Recently, there has been a newly popular app thrown into the mix called Hinge, and Colorado State University students are now joining other Northern Colorado singles in scrolling through vapid profiles to procrastinate on things they should actually be doing.
Hinge, in its composition and anti-swipe dictations, is an app that existed since 2013 but has been relaunched to promote conversation in a unique and charming way. Users are asked to provide 6 photos for their profile and answer three random questions of their choosing. These questions range anywhere from “Where would you want to go on a first date?” to “If I still had an AIM, my away message would be…” Information such as your location, your education, your political affiliation, the frequency of your drug use and whether or not you want to have kids or not can also be displayed on your profile. Potential soulmates scroll through an old-school interface, and instead of swiping right, they can “like” certain aspects of your profile or leave a comment. All likes and comments show up on your profile, and choosing to reply to these flirtations is how you match.
I want someone who is the yee to my haw.”-anonymous Hinge user.
While the dynamic of this app certainly promotes creative conversation, it’s clouded by the fact that many people in the CSU area who are using the app are the same people who are on Tinder. Their profiles may not suck as much as Tinder users, who often put “Add me on snap” as their sole description, but their intentions of hooking up with you in the middle of the Rec Room dance floor are still present. This also means that the men we have all affectionately nominated as “Fish Dudes” do in fact transcend to all dating apps, and we did not leave them on Tinder to show off their successful and confusing catches to whatever audience they think this appeals to. All in all, we are all just shifting to the next best thing. You will match with the girl who ghosted you on Tinder and she will continue to not reply.
To differentiate themselves from their biggest competitor, Tinder, Hinge removed swiping, timers on matches and some other features as well.
If you are looking to download this app despite the risk of matching with your ex for the fifth time, I would suggest you go into the venture with humility, don’t be afraid to embrace the ridiculousness and try to provide as much authenticity on your profile as possible. Your unique answers to profile questions are the catalyst for unique conversations to match. For inspiration, I would like to leave you with some of my favorite profile answers that lead me to conversations that didn’t make me cringe.
“I recently discovered that…”White Claws are also known as ‘bad boy La Croix.'”
“I want someone who…Is the yee to my haw.”
“The highlight of my day is usually…logging into Club Penguin.”
Miranda Moses can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @mirandasrad.
