To Tinder or not to Tinder? To swipe or not to swipe? These are the questions plaguing many singleton’s minds this Valentine’s Day, all over the world.

While in a relationship, it is almost guaranteed that plans will be made in advance, in order to mark the day in a special way. To a handful of the male population, a universal sigh can almost be echoed, as Valentine’s Day is usually coupled with the promise of photos galore, advertising their euphoric relationship to the wider social sphere such as platforms like Instagram. For the lone wolves, this can either be met with extreme cringe or a feeling of sadness, coming as a result of not having anyone to treasure the day with. In regards as to whether downloading Tinder is the solution to filling the void, there is probably a reason you deleted the application the other three times.

Not the one!

Having said that, it really depends on the individual’s intentions behind installing the app. For example, if you attempt interactions in the hope of finding the infamous L-word, this is exceedingly likely to result in disappointment and failure, ultimately ending the day in a worse state than when it began. If the desired effect is a hook-up, on the other hand, it is probably the day that this is most likely to occur, and the “what do you call a guy under six foot? A friend” bios are at a minimum.

Tinder is, of course, very superficial as it is mainly based on the visual appearance of an individual and whether they are aesthetically appealing to the recipient. In my opinion, the world would be a significantly better place without Tinder, as the severe shallowness of a plethora of people is enough to destroy a man or woman’s self confidence, and there is enough of that on social media websites already. It reinforces the societal idea that there is an ideal body type, hence the aforementioned popular profile bio.

To swipe left or right?

Additionally, I think everyone has a tendency to set the bar ten notches too high when it comes to swiping right on potential matches. For the less photogenic among us, of which I count myself as one of them, it means that they will seldom get the chance to interact with many men or women, because the search for the “perfect match” will continue to drag on. The Valentine’s Day date that is desired, is much more likely to be out with friends having a good time, and chemistry is a lot easier to formulate when the interactions are in person, instead of one sentence being swapped every other day. Personally, I think that Tinder conversations are too forced, and do not give an accurate representation of one’s true personality.  One thing is for sure; if you are looking for someone on Tinder, it is no secret that the inclusion of a dog in your profile picture pretty much triples the chances of a match, adhering to the hundreds of “I will probably like your dog more than you” bios.

While I am not totally against the use of Tinder, it will always be difficult to figure out what someone’s intentions are, whether it be some girls wanting to increase their Instagram following, or some guys manipulating girls into a hook-up, under the guise of looking for a meaningful relationship. Of course there have been many instances of Tinder matches eventually progressing to the marriage phase, but if you are simply looking for comfort this Valentine’s Day, ask yourself what the eventual desired outcome would be.