As some of the country’s most “swiped-right” individuals, OU students balance the pros and cons of online dating.
When Brittney Lovdal swiped right on a photo of a familiar face from campus, she scarcely could have imagined that it would lead to an entire night’s worth of exchanged messages — let alone a long-term relationship.
The two had more in common than a picture alone could have portrayed. Lovdal, a sophomore studying accounting, finance and business pre-law at Ohio University, identifies as a devoted Jack Johnson fan and was immediately smitten with the “Banana Pancakes” lyrics in the Tinder bio of Kohl Eisenhauer, a fellow sophomore studying integrated language arts.
“I knew he was a keeper,” Lovdal said. “It was the perfect first date. We were both so nervous … but we were able to have great conversation the whole time because it felt like we had known each other for a long time since we were able to talk through Tinder.”
Like countless members of their generation, Lovdal and Eisenhauer’s love story is one that began between the screens of smartphones, thanks to the app that has been praised for its innovation, yet criticized for its methods, which have been called everything from vain to superficial.
In a town like Athens, with a plethora of bars dotting the length of Court Street and an array of social events for students to choose from, finding a date for Friday night might not seem like a difficult venture for some. And with nearly 30,000 students, many of whom presumably share similar ages, interests and ambitions, the opportunity to meet that special someone might be, quite literally, right around every corner.
Yet, despite such opportunities, more and more students are opting for the sort of dating experience that doesn’t require the need to leave one’s dorm room, don a trendy outfit or make the trek up Jeff Hill in the dead of winter to reach the bars. All it takes are a few favorable photos and an openness to first interactions by means of texts.
“I feel like almost everyone is on Tinder looking for something, but no one actually talks about it, so it's weird to admit that we were both on it,” Lovdal said. “People usually laugh and tell us it's cute when they find out though, so it doesn't really bother me. I'd rather meet someone on Tinder than in a bar.”
In a 2015 analysis of collegiate users, OU was rated one of the most “swiped right” schools, ranking 18th in females and 19th in males in the United States.
That technological advancement in the college dating scene is not, however, without its disadvantages — or its potential for danger.
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On Sept. 30, when nine sexual assaults had been reported to the OU Police Department within the first month of Fall Semester, Chief Andrew Powers released a special statement to students, citing a startling fact — two of the assaults had resulted from meetups arranged through Tinder.
“Not everyone who uses an app like Tinder is doing so for the same reason,” Powers said in the release, emphasizing the importance of understanding consent and adding that “sexual assault and rape culture are everyone’s problem.”
“I think that situations can become more dangerous than necessary when two strangers meet in private settings. ... My experience tells me that sexual assaults typically occur between people who are recently acquainted,” Ryan said in an email.
Ryan said that users be wary of choosing a private location for a first encounter.
"Once in a private setting, there are far fewer people who can help you than in public if things go badly — so only enter that situation with people you think you can trust,” Ryan said.
Ryan also encouraged students to keep friends updated before and during meetups with strangers and to alert them if a situation seems suspicious.
Unlike OkCupid and Match.com that came before it, Tinder matches people based on proximity and preference rather than by algorithms that determine compatibility. Though the pros and cons of such methods have yet to be measured in terms of their effectiveness, those who can boast Tinder success stories swear by the unmistakable power of the right-swipe.
“When I was on Tinder, it was mostly just to mess around — maybe meet a few people,” Eisenhauer said. “I never really expected to meet a girl who I’d have a relationship with a year later.”
@lauren__fisher
