The decision of swiping right or swiping left could determine who your next potential friend, significant other or hook-up will be.
An informal survey conducted by the Times, of 60 people found that at least 60 per cent of male respondents attending Algonquin and at least 43 per cent of females are using dating apps.
The survey also showed that 60 per cent more males are using it for hook-ups than females while the dating ratio is equal.
The most popular app? Tinder.
Tinder is a simple app that involves swiping right or left based on whether or not you’re intrigued by that person.
“I have a lot of anxiety so it’s easier to have that space between you, you have your phone with you and it’s easy,” explained Rae Légère a second-year hair stylist student who identifies as genderqueer. “If you don’t get along with the person you’re talking to, or they’re being rude, you can just block them.”
Légère has been using Tinder where they met their current boyfriend of two years for three years. They also used Hot or Not in the past.
Légère also warned of the risks of participating in online encounters with sexual assault being one. And it can lead to a user being forced or pressured to do things they don’t want to do.
“You have to get to know people online first,” Légère said. “I usually talk to someone for two weeks and get to know them before I meet them in person because I feel a lot safer that way.”
People not only use these apps for dating and hook-ups, which are the given purposes but some also use them to simply meet new friends according to survey results. Social media can expand your horizons when it comes to meeting different people in different ways.