Recently, Tinder has been growing in popularity in Egypt, and many of us singles have been debating with ourselves whether or not to jump on the bandwagon and get an account. On one hand, Tinder has definitely got some horror stories along with it that put a lot of people off. We have all heard the stories of lustful sex-deprived men sending inappropriate and sometimes threatening messages, and with enough harassment on the streets why would any of us want to get that on our phones too? Then there are also all the negatives of the process being quite shallow and interactions being virtual.
But on the other hand, meeting a decent, eligible man in Egypt can be so difficult, what with the small circles of friends and immature guys seemingly everywhere. So could online dating be a good option after all?
To end this dilemma and internal debate, we tried Tinder out to see what it is like for a young woman here in Egypt. And surprisingly our experience was very positive! And here is why:
The power is in your hands!
You get to choose who you talk to and when. If someone’s profile is just full of superficial rubbish you can just swipe left. And the second anyone starts annoying you or being inappropriate, you can delete the conversation and if necessary report them. Deleting the conversation means they can no longer contact you or even access your profile.
You work out what you want
It gives you a chance to think about what you want from a partner. Of course you can be shallow and just judge on the basis of one image. But even just looking at their bios and seeing pictures of their hobbies, helps you realize whether it is creativity or sense of humour or a love of traveling that you are drawn to. Knowing what you want can be a useful thing whether you are meeting people online or in the real world!
You can get to know someone before you meet in real life
If you are shy in real life, starting up a conversation with someone can be really difficult. Being online can help you get to know someone without having that pressure that you might feel in real life. Then when you feel a bit more confident, you can arrange to meet up with them. Just make sure it is in a public place with friends around! And if the conversation doesn’t seem to go anywhere, you don’t ever have to meet.
You are exposed to people you wouldn’t otherwise meet
We tend to live our lives in small circles of close friends, and sometimes it is good to be able to broaden your horizons and speak to people that you wouldn’t otherwise meet. Exposing yourself to new ideas isn’t just interesting, it is great for self-development.
For those who do choose to take the plunge and make an account, here are our tips:
Be selective
In Egypt there are a lot more men on Tinder than women, so if you ‘like’ someone, chances are they will have ‘liked’ you back. So unless you want to be overwhelmed by lots of messages and try to keep up with lots of conversations, be selective.
Be prepared for creeps
The negative stories that we hear about Tinder don’t come from nowhere. We received many unsolicited requests for ‘sexting’, but mostly a reply of ‘no I am not interested’ let to a swift and final end to any conversation. Some men were more persistent and don’t take no lightly, but just delete and move on to greener pastures.
Read their whole profile
Definitely take those extra seconds to look at their profile and see their other images. Sometimes in their bio people will say whether they are looking to meet a future girlfriend or just have a chat with someone new, so you can bear this in mind when you are talking to them.
Check your age and distance ranges
If you feel more comfortable with men within a certain age bracket then be sure to tell Tinder that that is the case! And if you don’t want to accidentally end up with a crush on someone living in a far away city, make sure you distance range is reasonable too.
Keep your cards close to your chest
Even though you mind be enjoying really lovely and genuine conversations with the people you match with on Tinder, remember to be cautious. Don’t reveal any personal information about yourself. Tinder keeps it to first names only on their accounts for a reason.
The whole thing definitely isn’t for everyone! But if meeting people in real life doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, it might be worth trying out. And if you try it and hate the whole experience, deleting the app and going back to real life takes no time at all.