Illustration by Andrija Klaric/The Gazelle

Today we are celebrating Valentine’s Day, one of the most cherished days of the year — at least for some of us. It is the day when star-crossed lovers have the freedom to shower one another with gifts, flowers and chocolates — albeit overly priced. They have the freedom to exchange their passionate exclamations like “Love you, babe” or “Hey habibi,” which ultimately leave us, the average people who have declared sovereignty from the clutches of Cupid’s arrows, disgusted with those whose hearts were struck.

This disgust is deeply rooted in the fact that we also long — judging from the single people that I know, including myself — for someone to do these things with on Valentine’s Day. The truth of the matter is that Valentine’s Day is a beautiful tradition of spending time with the person who would care for you when you need them the most, understand you and all your quirks — no matter how many you have — and love you for who you are. We single people envy those who have lovers in their lives, and would do anything to find the so-called one. So, all you single people… Why not try Tinder-ing?

Tinder is a mobile app that has become a huge hit in multiple countries around the world. In fact, there are some people here at NYU Abu Dhabi that use Tinder. So, what is it? Tinder is a dating app that uses your Facebook account and location details to match you up with people who may potentially be the elusive One. Depending on your settings, you are then given a myriad of profiles to check out, and all that is required of you is to swipe left if you’re not interested and to swipe right if you are.

Based on these factors, you may have noticed that there are problems associated with this app. Firstly, you are judging your compatibility with a person based on their appearance. The cliché quote of never judging a book by its cover speaks volumes in this situation. At first glance, that person may look like they’re the perfect one for you, but in the end they may be someone’s grandparent. In addition, the person you swiped left may not be the Prince Charming or Megan Fox of your dreams, but they might have been The One. Establishing a relationship through appearances may not be the best in the long run.

Secondly, what happened to the old-fashioned way of pursuing a relationship or courting? Technology has almost completely eradicated this beautiful practice. Alright, I may sound like a really cheesy, old-fashioned guy, but doesn’t it feel better to get to know someone first? Wouldn’t it be better in the long run? I cannot necessarily speak for everyone, but based on personal experience, I believe it would have been better if I got to know my ex-girlfriend before we got into a relationship. Long story short, there were a lot of misunderstandings as the relationship went along.

Additionally, the whole courtship thing actually makes a lot of sense. Yes, I understand that it takes a really long time, but how wonderful would it be to have that elated feeling of success when you finally find the elusive One?

Thirdly, just like almost every dating site out there today, there’s a problem of safety. Once you’ve been matched with a stranger, talked to each other for hours on end and finally decided to meet up, several things could happen. Maybe my paranoia developed because of the news back home, where people were found dead after meeting up with a stranger they met on the Internet. I could be wrong, but I wouldn’t take the risk if I were you.

These are just some of the problems that could arise from using Tinder, and I’m sure that there are other predicaments too. But, on a brighter note, Tinder has actually succeeded in matching people around the world. I personally know someone who met his elusive One on Tinder. He told me that he downloaded the app just for fun with his friends. Then one day, he messaged one of the girls he was matched with and got a reply. Soon enough, they started chatting online and eventually met up. Now, he’s one lucky guy who is in a relationship with one of the coolest girls I have ever heard about.

After we have covered the potential problems arising from the use of Tinder, and got to know that it actually works for some people, here is what I really meant when I said, “Why not try Tinder-ing?” Tinder allows for people to get out of their comfort zone, and compels them to communicate with persons they want to know more about. All the problems of judging by appearances aside, the fact that you swiped right means that you want to get to know this person more. You wanted to know if they were compatible with you or not. All you needed to do was to take the initiative to get to know them. This is what Tinder theoretically teaches its users, and this is what I meant by Tinder-ing.

I am not saying that you should use Tinder. You can use it if you want to. However, you should at least try to get to know the people you swiped before developing a crush on them. Since Valentine’s Day is the day for you to spend time with people who care for you, are there when you need them the most, understand you and all your quirks — no matter how many you have — and love you for who you are. So, why not try Tinder-ing today?