"You gotta, gotta, gotta swipe it left! You gotta, gotta, gotta swipe it left!"
I've been humming the anti-tobacco jingle, frequently seen on MTV, for weeks now.
It's. Driving. Me. Crazy.
In the commercial, X-Factor spawned musical group Fifth Harmony, Vine star King Bach, up-and-coming pop princess Becky G and others sing and dance about rejecting or "swiping left" on potential dating partners who smoke cigarettes.
It's just one among many anti-tobacco campaigns funded by Truth Initiative (formerly the American Legacy Foundation) and geared toward youth audiences.
What caught my eye about the commercial is that it is a clear reference to the dating app, Tinder, in which users can swipe left (rejecting) or right (matching) on potential romantic interests. Swiping left on a person has somehow become big enough motivation to make people stop smoking.
Launched in 2012, Tinder was founded by an intimate group who first targeted the app to college campuses. The layout is fairly simple with the user's name, age, a short biography and a few photos synced from Facebook.
I first made a Tinder close to the end of my freshmen year of college due to good old-fashioned peer pressure from friends and, I'll admit, my own curiosity.
Within hours of having it I received greetings so heartfelt and genuine they would put "The Notebook," "Titanic" and "Casablanca" to shame: "Sup, baby girl", "Come thru, lil mama" and "Ur hot, lets meet up".
*swoons* Isn't love grand? (If you can't tell that I'm being sarcastic then just stop reading now.)
Needless to say, I deleted the app soon thereafter.
I have a few friends who have met their current partners on Tinder. But I have even more friends who, like me, had disastrous encounters that made them want to throw their phone into a lake.
Initially, I did not expect Tinder to stick around. I figured similar to what I observed of Yik Yak, an app that allows users to have anonymous conversations or "yaks" with those around them, Tinder was just the newest trend that would soon fizzle out. Yet, seeing Tinder seep into cable television when I'm just minding my business and trying to watch "The Real World" is evidence that this is not the case. Tinder is taking more and more steps to become a part of our day-to-day lives.
They've integrated Instagram photos that connect your Instagram account to your Tinder profile. On Tinder Plus, users can now "rewind" and look back at users they rejected if they want to change their mind. Celebrities like Lily Allen and Lindsay Lohan are self-proclaimed users and with Tinder's new Twitter-like verified check mark, us normal folks can tell when we're talking to the real thing.
Just discovered tinder. *Waves goodbye to life*
— lily (@lilyallen) March 13, 2014
Tinder has been making huge strides financially as well. According to a July Business Insider article, analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch "valued Tinder at around $1.35 billion" and said "a bullish scenario could result in Tinder revenue of $250 million and a $3 billion valuation."
Here's my problem with Tinder. The app's website reads, "Any swipe can change your life." First of all, really? Change my life? Free tuition would change my life. Tupac's resurrection would change my life. Going to Hogwarts would change my life. I digress.
The app's website also features a video of a beautiful blonde traveling on vacation to Paris and beyond, meeting the love of her life and a montage of other touchy-feely romantic moments.
This was not my experience.
look who I just found on @tinder ... hey bro http://t.co/4vEOiTGTYK
— Lindsay Lohan (@lindsaylohan) October 10, 2013
At first, it felt good to receive a match. Swiping right on someone you're interested in and seeing that they've swiped right on you too would make anyone feel good. But for me, the messages I received were startling at best and disgusting at worst.
When I complained about this to a friend, she gave me an odd look and said, "What did you expect? It's a hookup app."
And we have a winner, ladies and gentlemen! There it is. It's a hookup app. Which is fine, if that's what you're into. What's not fine is Tinder advertising it as though it's the next big thing for true love.
Casual hookups with no strings attached are not for me. They never have been and I doubt they ever will be. I'm a long-term, big picture kind of girl who doesn't like to waste her time, attention or affection on things that won't last. (I know, I know, typical Sagittarius).
If you're like me, don't allow Tinder to mislead you into thinking that modern dating is doomed and chivalry is dead. Instead, delete the app and maybe try to meet someone, I don't know, in real life?
I do have hope that there are still people out there who are swiping with their hearts and not... well, other body parts. Is Tinder right for you? That depends on what you're looking for. A casual fling? Get to downloading now! Something long-term or a soulmate? Eh. Let me know how that works out for you.
Reach the columnist at nlilley@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @noelledl_
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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