MY 35 SECOND MAN

By Rosalie Capri

Yes, girls it’s that time again. With the store shelf’s overflowing with chocolate filled heart boxes, stuffed teddy bears declaring their undying love, and last but not least; the premiere of that, it hurts so good flick, Fifty shades of Ouch. Yep there’s no escaping it; love or something like it is in the air.

So, what day it is?

If you guessed “hump day”.  I’d say you’re almost right. It’s Valentine’s Day. Which means our mischievous matchmaker, Cupid is airborne and taking aim at lonely hearts everywhere; equipped with GPS and a surface to air missile, somebody’s bound to find love.

This is also the day when single ladies everywhere wonder, where is Mr. Right?

The answer may be just a swipe away.

THAT’S AMORE –  MOBILE STYLE

Say hello to world of digital dating on your smartphone.

Yes, Cupid has also gone global and extended his mobile match making skills by making the search for love or lust a hand-held activity. (Pardon the pun.)  Tinder, Match and OkCupid, among other dating sites, offer singles a chance to be lucky in love or just lucky.

So, in the interest of research, (wink, wink) I met the girls at our local coffee shop. And in between sipping our lattes, I downloaded the Tinder app on my iPhone. My girlfriends picked a photo that they claimed showed “my pouting lips” and after a tap of my finger, my dating profile was created. Another tap and I had numerous photos of potential Mr. Rights or Mr. Right Now(s) at my fingertips.

Tinder is easy, and fun.  A swipe “to the left” as Beyonce sings and your match is history. But a swipe to the right might mean, lust with potential.

Hopped up on espresso, we swiped through photos of potential mates. As each photo appeared, our votes were verbalized with lots of ooh’s and ahh’s. Then a photo appeared with the words “Matched within 35 seconds”. A couple of flirtatious messages later and I have a date with my 35 second man. (Let’s hope the only significance of that 35 seconds is our match time – just saying!)

In a New York Times article, Led by Tinder, a Surge in Mobile Dating Apps, managing an online dating profile can feel like a full-time job; Tinder is more like a little hobby. One thing I liked about Tinder; no one can send you a message unless you both like each other. It’s an instant filter. With Tinder if you match with someone – meaning you both swipe right you can either send a message or keeping playing. Tender is like letting it ride on the roulette wheel of lust or love!

Tinder’s dating site has been labeled, as a hook-up app, but as explained by another dating member defending Tinder’s ulterior motives, yes, Tinder is superficial. It doesn’t let people browse profiles to find compatible partners, and it doesn’t claim to possess an algorithm that can find your soul mate. But this approach is at least honest and avoids the errors committed by more traditional approaches to online dating.

Superficiality is actually Tinder’s greatest asset. Dating articles claim that most singles don’t adopt an either/or approach to dating — either casual sex or a serious relationship. Most of them want to have fun, meet interesting people, feel sexual attraction and, at some point, settle into a serious relationship. And all that begins with a quick and dirty assessment of rapport and chemistry that occurs when people first meet face to face.

Tonight’s date – Hook up or Honeymoon? Stay tuned, because we all know,
I kiss and tell!