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Beyond the swipes
Posted On 10 Feb 2016
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What our writers Muhammad Syafiq and Goh Pei Xuan thought of the dating app
ILLUSTRATION: BRENDA LEE HUI ZHEN
What was the most interesting conversation and why?
Pei Xuan: The most interesting conversation I had was the conversation with Guy L where he shared a very detailed story of his break-up. The amount of time he spent crafting his long texts and explaining the details of his break-up surprised me — how could one open up so easily about his heartbreak to someone he barely knew online? It made me wonder if this was a tactic he was using to bait his matches.
Syafiq: The most interesting conversation was with Girl C. She was very honest and shared her personal details with me. This in turn made me more invested in the conversation. She was very direct and honest, which I appreciated, as I think many people on Tinder are not very forthcoming.
How many of your matches would you actually meet in real life?
Pei Xuan: Based on the conversations we had, I would only be willing to meet one out of the 10 people I matched with. Guy T, whom I matched with on the second day, was the only guy who did not give off a creepy vibe. We bonded over our shared love of fitness and yoga and he wasn’t pushy about meeting me in real life or moving the conversation to Whatsapp. I would prefer to keep my conversations with the other nine guys online because I feel like we are on different frequencies.
Syafiq: Based on the conversations we had, I would not be willing to meet any of my matches in real life. As most of them are 17 or 18 years old, I find that I don’t have a lot in common with them as a 23-year-old.
Which is the most effective type of photo and how many photos should be used?
The most effective type of photo is a full frontal shot of your face. We also think that the more pictures users have, the higher the chance of getting likes.
Verdict
Given that we met completely new people who hardly have any mutual friends in common with us, conversations tended to run dry after a while due to the lack of shared experiences. The app was also structured like a game — with the option to “keep playing” or “start talking” after getting a match, and we think it’s a good networking app to meet new people to have casual conversations with.
Although neither of us met our Prince or Princess Charming in the three days we were swiping on Tinder, we have heard of examples of couples who met on Tinder and have gone on to start stable relationships.
The relative anonymity (nobody’s stopping you from setting up a new Facebook account!) of the game-changing dating app bypasses awkward introductions while providing a bird’s eye view of shared interests with your matches.
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, hit up Tinder to try to score a potential date — or just to meet someone new virtually.
You never know — you might just get matched with your Tinderella while waiting for the bus to arrive.
RELATED STORY: Tinder loving care, Love at first swipe
