Reporter: Riley Berlinghoff
People all over Durham College and UOIT are using the iPhone and Android social networking app, Tinder. Finding the love of your life has never been easier, or has it?
Tinder is a new way of meeting people around you, by using your current location to show you people in your age and kilometre range.
When you open the app you are brought to a page where a picture of someone appears with the option to swipe left for ‘nope’ or right for ‘liked.’ If the person you’ve swiped right likes you back, you’ll get a match and you’re now able to message them.
Cali McGilbert, 21, is a fake account on Tinder with no personal picture and a description that reads only: Nude for nudes? In just one week this made up account generated over 280 matches.Since matching someone means you can message them, the Cali account received numerous messages, such as, “I’m not sure if I want to see you nude or not, got a picture of yourself
for starters?” or, “You’re normal and sane right?” Other messages include, “Sex for sex, no nudes,” and, “You want to do nudes or what?”
Durham College students say they are not surprised so many people were matched on a fake account.
In a recent survey on campus, almost 90 per cent had no problem believing that 280 people matched the fake account. Only two of the 25 people interviewed said they were shocked.
“Guys will look at any boobs, doesn’t matter who you are,” said first year Early Childhood Education student Cassie Ashby.
Tinder was created in southern California for students to meet people around them on college campuses.
But Durham College students Stephanie Vella, Jessie Glassford and Holly Murray all agree that Tinder has more of a “hook up” reputation.
“It’s a hook up app pretty much. If you have a solid description and look decent you’ll get a certain crowd,” says Glassford.
The two girls surprised by the matches, Colleen Fleming and Sydney Freeman, are in their first year in the ECE program. They were repulsed by the information.
“It’s nasty, it’s gross,” said Fleming.
Josh in first year computer programming, didn’t want to use last name used, but had never heard of Tinder before.
“I’m a guy, I know guys my age. They’re disgusting pigs, I know that, and it doesn’t surprise me at all.”
Every “match” on Tinder who was asked why they matched Cali had a similar answer. Cali’s profile picture is of a bottle of vodka, which is said to be the reason for some matches.
“I just saw the bottle of Absolute so thought you like to party,” said Justin, 24. “Well the nudes for nudes means nothing to me, I simply swiped because I felt we had a common interest in liquor,” said Jose, 28.
“Just takes them to be female for me to swipe right,” said Rambod, 25.
“I’m just using it to kill time,” said Brayden, “and chat with some random people to see what kind of crazy conversations I can have.” Everyday there are more than 750 million swipes and 10 million matches on Tinder with the average user playing for 60 minutes per day, according to Tinder CEO Sean Rad. You never know who you’ll swipe-into next.
