“No one is looking for a relationship in college. Everyone just wants to have fun.” Said everyone who couldn’t find a boyfriend while they were in school.
What I’m trying to say is that was a phrase that may have come out of my mouth quite a bit during my four years in Miami…mostly because it was true. Right? IT’S TRUE RIGHT?? IT WASN’T JUST ME?!??
Anyway, here we are, 286 days since graduation, and now I’ve been telling a lot of my friends who are still in school, “No one is really looking for a relationship right out of college. Everyone is adjusting to post-grad life and just wants to have fun.” So where do you find the ones who do want a relationship?
Young adults are flocking to the web, their phones, and more to check out not only who’s single, but who’s looking to meet up for a drink, a few dates, or a relationship. It’s not really surprising, since our generation has become completely reliant on the Internet and our smart phones for everything from food delivery to catching up on our TV shows. That and we’re all totally lazy. Let’s explore the options for the tech-friendly-romantic who just seems to be looking for love in all the wrong places.
Kinda Sorta Creepy Ways to Meet People via Technology
I’m just kinda T.O’ed because she hasn’t sent me a full body shot yet.
Grouper
I’m listing Grouper first because I think it is so funny and so cute and such a good idea because it requires that you actually have friends to do it. Essentially, you sign up with two friends, or “wingmen” as they list it on the site, and you get matched with another group of three. For $20 each, your drinks for the night are taken care of, and you’re on this pre-arranged super fun group date. I’ve had two friends go on it already, and both said it was actually a really enjoyable time.
Also, this:
Brilliant.
Grade: A
OK Cupid
I’m going to go ahead and share with you that I created an OKCupid account a little while back, just to see what it was all about. There were definitely some good and some bad aspects to it.
Here’s the good. A lot of the guys who make profiles understand that being funny and personable is key to getting people to trust that you are normal. Even better is some of them realize that the whole concept of OKCupid, well, online dating in general, is still fairly new, so if they do message you, they’ll need to tread lightly, and feel it out. A cheese pick-up line is okay, if it’s very obvious it’s a joke. Even better is if they can reference something you like based on your profile without just being like, “Oh, you like Ryan Gosling movies? Me too. He is good.” The bad? More people on the site do not realize these things. And send creepy. ass. messages. “Mmmm gurl lovin ur pics, wanna meet up?” Um…no. Like not even a little bit.
I did go on a date with someone I met – no, it didn’t go anywhere – but he was 100% normal, a cool guy, and paid for my margaritas. Just not my type. So while it can definitely work for some people, there’s just too much room for creeps.
Not really an OK cupid if you ask me.
Grade: C+
Tinder
Tinder is like a combination of Facemash, the original site created by Mark Zuckerburg, and that show “Next!” on MTV. Tinder is for the laziest of the lazy, where you can just browse through pictures of anyone nearby who has the app and click ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down’ based on limited info. If two people “yes” each other, they have the option to chat via the app. It’s like shallow speed-dating! But it’s really, really entertaining. Seriously. Great for when you have some off-time at work or when you’re bored on long, drunk train rides home, Tinder allows those serious about meeting people to, well, talk seriously, and the rest of us to ask weird questions and use silly pick-up lines for fun. Something just tells me it’ll never be acceptable to say you met your boyfriend through an iPhone app, though, sorry boys.
*Note – Because you can upload a max of 5 pictures, be aware these may not exactly represent what said Tinder match looks like. He is eliminating bad pics. A friend met up with a Tinder match at a club and he was not what he seemed. He was dubbed a “TinderFish” – Catfish, via Tinder. (Credit: Kim Z. and the JB crew for the awesome nickname.)
Grade: B+, solely for entertainment purposes
Craigslist
Okay okay hold on. I’m not suggesting anyone go browsing the personals section of Craigslist for a hot date. Just need to share one creative way two guys used Craigslist to find dates for their cousin’s wedding. The post called for two sisters or friends who were attractive and fun to join them for the Saratoga wedding, and included lots of funny pictures and silly facts about the two striking young gentlemen. Sound ridiculous? Far from. They’ve gotten 2,000 replies. Check it out.
Wish I had thought of this for DG Semiformal.
And here’s the response:
Wanna know who the girl who submitted the Journey song was? I’ll give you one guess 😉
Grade: A for those guys, D for everyone else because Craigslist can be sketchy
So dont worry, all you hopeless romantics, there is love for you out there. And if you can’t find it walking down the street, or at a bar, or through a friend, there are plenty of other ways for you to connect with someone. All you need is a charged batter, a WiFi signal, some pretty pictures, and a lot of trust in humanity. Best of luck, my friends!
Focused On Distractions 