Online Dating For Dummies
graphic by than thai
It’s no secret that gen-Z is meeting more and more of their romantic partners online… especially on college campuses. As we’re sure you all know by now, Tinder, Grindr, Hinge, and Bumble are among some of the most popular dating apps. Whether they’re used to help locate casual hookups or your next relationship, here's a variety of things you should know to keep online dating fun instead of creepy.
First things first, let’s talk about your online dating profile:
1. Don’t use fake information. There are some ~sus~ people that will try to catfish and deceive others online with fake pictures or ages. It’s not cool, super unsafe, and is also a waste of everyone’s time! So, let’s just keep it real.
2. Online dating is playing on a percentage. It is in no way indicative of how attractive you are. If your self-esteem is contingent upon how many “swipes” you get on Tinder, it might be a good idea to rethink the whole concept of online dating altogether.
Conversing on Dating Apps:
1. Don’t overthink it! At the end of the day, there’s nothing to lose by saying the wrong thing (since you realistically never have to actually see the person you’re talking to). Go with the natural flow of the conversation and don’t hold back from speaking what you actually believe. We’re here to find our soulmates, right?
2. It’s okay to be transparent in what you’re looking for. There’s nothing wrong with setting your intentions for the experience and letting them be known. You’ll be surprised how much easier dating can be if you just openly communicate with your partner. #relationshipexperts
Safety with Dating Apps:
If you notice that someone is immediately asking overly personal questions or making you feel uneasy in any way, trust your intuition and block them.
1. Never give out personal information. Things such as phone numbers or addresses shouldn’t be given to someone you just started talking to. When talking to strangers online, it’s important to not reveal too much personal information before you at least feel comfortable talking to them or have met up in person (in a very public place).
2. Take precautions when meeting up in person. If you’ve been talking to someone online and decide that you’d like to meet up with them, here are a few things to do to ensure your safety:
Invite them to video chat before actually getting together in person! You can make sure that the person you’re meeting up with is the same person you’ve been talking to, plus you can see how they act to determine if there even will be a meetup.
Meet in a public place (as we’ve said before). If you’re meeting someone for the first time in person, go somewhere where there are other people around- such as a restaurant or coffee shop. You don’t want to end up in a desolate part of town with someone who turned weird halfway through the night.
Make sure at least one other person knows where you are. It might be a good idea to turn on an app such as ‘Find My Friends,’ and give a couple of close friends access to track your location (we love those precautionary measures).
Lastly, if you end up hitting it off and want to hook up- great! Just make sure everything is 100% consensual.
Now go have fun, be safe, and happy swiping! 🤠