Ah yes, the familiar phrase we college students are all at least somewhat familiar with; what a joy to be on the receiving end of this message. This message could be  easily replaced by “wyd?”, another message that is reserved almost in its’ entirety for  any hour past midnight. There we were, minding our own business when all of a  sudden the “(insert name here) is typing…” notification appears. The following response could go two very opposite ways. Maybe this is just what we were waiting for:  an unexpected yet not unwanted surprise. Or on the other hand, we begin to panic. A  world of possibilities; your next move is all up to you. To ghost, or not to ghost? 

While this culture is in a sense typical to the lifestyle of early twenty-somethings trying to make their way through school, there is no doubt that there is a place where it not only survives: it thrives. What we mean is this romantic subculture of swiping, chatting, and perhaps ghosting if we must discuss it; it’s the exhilarating yet  exhausting world of dating apps. And while these things do obviously happen outside of the online dating world, these platforms are just undeniably hotbeds for these kinds of encounters to ensue. Whereas when you meet someone in person, you understand if something goes off the rails, you run the chances of seeing them in person again. And even if nothing goes terribly wrong, the reality is that opening the door of coming across thousands of eligibles you probably would have never met in person is alluring, at least conceptually. It’s not as though we’re humans or something.

So, let’s say you do make the choice to swipe. Congratulations! Now we must determine which of these many platforms will be closest to your expectations. And this is trickier than anyone could have thought: while it is possible to meet the love of  your life on Tinder, we would not necessarily say it’s likely to happen per say. And before all of you say, “I met my boyfriend of 5 years on Tinder,” congratulations on achieving the impossible, we suppose. If you have explored more than one dating app before, you likely have come to the conclusion that there are some key…differences. This is the prime reason you must determine your expectations entering this experience; even the main three (Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge) have pretty vast differences depending on what kind of result you are looking for.

Should we state the obvious? If you’re looking for something that airs on the  more temporary side so to speak, perhaps we should usher you in the direction of  Tinder. However, heed this place with the utmost caution! If you have never used  Tinder, you must know it can become feral fairly quickly. Without providing too much  speculation, those who do inhabit the Tinder world may have some particular motives. And if this is the desired result, we’re glad you found what you were looking for. But, do prepare yourself for something a bit more on the casual side.  

Now, if you’re looking for something a little less temporary, Bumble may be your pick. Bumble has a vast variety: a little bit of the feisty energy found on Tinder mixed in with some people who may be in it for the long run. This place is truly the one stop for a variety of different vibes; you could get almost anything. If you are new to the online dating scene and you are unsure of what you’re shopping for, Bumble may be  the beginning of these new horizons. If you are looking for something long term, Bumble may be more successful for you than Tinder in this particular pursuit. 

Last but certainly not least, we have all seen those Hinge voice audio Tik Toks,  right? If you have never been on Hinge before, the voice memo feature is definitely  something you are missing out on for so many reasons. Hinge is advertised as the  dating app that is “designed to be deleted”. So, the environment on Hinge reflects an  atmosphere that is designed to help you find something more serious. If you’re  looking for a relationship exclusively, Hinge is likely the place for you. You could  consider Hinge as an opposite to Tinder if you look at dating apps as a spectrum, with  Bumble presiding over the middle. But even if you aren’t looking for something  serious, we do recommend downloading Hinge just so you can check out that voice  memo feature. You’ll understand later. 

So, to swipe or not to swipe? That is the question. Choose to swipe, and you’ve entered a whole new world complete with new norms and behaviors, or not to swipe and simply be content with your outside world results. And we’re here to say that both of these are perfectly fine; this is just here to give you a sneak peek into what’s all out there. We bid you a generous “bon voyage” as you sail out on your journey: and don’t forget to give your potential matches a warm “U up?” from us.

Written by Aubrey Matson, Photography: Angel Frando, Social Media: London Marchman