Last Friday, one Bernie Sanders supporter discovered her Tinder account was locked due to outwardly expressing her “Berning” passion.
Robyn Gedrich, 23, wrote in Tinder messages: “Do you feel the bern? Please text WORK to 82623 for me. Thanks.”
The Sanders supporter from New Jersey told Reuters she messaged 60 people per day and a total of 300 people while she was still on the app.
That’s a lot of right swipes and matches in the name of Bernie Sanders.
Gedrich said if people sent a text message to the number she provided, they’d start receiving updates from the Sanders campaign and a link where they could sign up to volunteer.
"Some people would ask what is this for, and I would kind of explain," she told Reuters. "Some of them would unmatch me or report me as a bot."
It wasn’t just Gedrich innovating with the hook-up app, either. A myriad of Sanders supporters are using this tactic to campaign and lure in younger voters.
Some supporters have been sharing their Tinder campaign efforts through a Facebook group titled, “Bernie Sanders Dank Tinder Convos,” which currently has 1,792 members, including myself. (Even if you don’t support Sanders, the screenshot Tinder conversations are worth checking out.)
Other supporters contribute their comical Tinder exchanges on a Tumblr site titled, “Tinder Campaigning, The adventures of a perpetual right-swiper in the efforts of electing Bernie Sanders.” The blog has dozens of images of Tinder conversations referencing Sanders and his campaign.
Tinder needs to “Feel the Bern.”
Instead of suspending these supporters’ accounts, Tinder should be encouraging political exchanges between young people.
Sanders has truly started a revolution in getting the millennial generation motivated and engaged in the political process. With extremely low voter turnout rates in recent local and national elections, Sanders has sparked a flame in the younger generation, something that no other candidate has been able to achieve throughout the 2016 presidential race.
These Sanders fanatics should not be condemned for showing off their pride in the presidential candidate; they’re merely trying to get others involved via social media.
It’s a tactic that is all too familiar throughout this presidential race.
How does your student loan debt make you feel?
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 12, 2015
Tell us in 3 emojis or less.
If presidential candidates and their supporters are using sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to lure in a generation centered around technology, why is campaigning on Tinder off-limits?
Tinder should allow all kinds of exchanges on their application — romantic and political.
Besides, a recent Match survey of more than 5,000 American single men and women showed that talking politics with a potential partner helps secure future dates.
The Washington Post reported: “A hearty discussion on any political issue could increase your chances of getting a second date by 91 percent.”
Maybe the infamous hook-up app we all know and love is doing it all wrong.
Maybe Tinder would be even more useful for its users in finding potential matches (and not just hook-ups) if it allowed political discussion.
Gedrich said none of her 300 matches resulted in an actual date, but who knows what could’ve happened if Tinder didn’t suspend her account?
Out of curiosity, I went to Tinder and started messaging my matches about Sanders myself.
Related Links:
Why I'm swiping Tinder out of my life
True love is a right swipe away on Tinder at ASU
Reach the columnist at ambice@asu.edu or follow @alliebice on Twitter.
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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