Tinder Swiping: The DOs and DON’Ts
On Tinder, we get to swiftly subject people to the basest yet most factored-in dating criterion: looks.
You swipe right or left on your phone indicating yea or nay to a potential date based on a user’s picture. That makes Tinder efficient, honest and deliciously cruel.
Swiping left means you theoretically never have to see that profile again. The best part is, no one has to know because your dismissal is anonymous. Tinder lets us be assholes, without judgment.
Only when you pick someone by swiping right and they’ve done the same, do you both discover your mutual interest and can message each other. Tinder gives us permission to do what we do anyway – be superficial.
Assuming you’ve mastered your own Tinder profile by posting pictures that include a clear representation of your face, a smile, eye contact and your body type, you might think you’re ready to find matches.
But have you perfected your swiping technique?
Even for those claiming modest requirements such as, “please have a chin, that’s all I ask,” there are ways to finesse Tinder’s usability. Yes, that basically means a system by which to accurately judge a book by its cover.
It is all about the prospective match’s first image, but in it, a dozen clues speak to everything from aesthetic to common sense to judgment to socialization. If a user has trouble with these basic elements, even if they look like the grown-up progeny of the Jolie-Pitts, you already know to wipe them away like they never happened.
Let this collection of Tinder DOs and DON’Ts guide you to that end, and happy swiping.
1. DO judge people on their originality.
A picture with a dog: overdone.
A picture of the user’s dog taking a mirror selfie: also overdone.
2. DON’T forget to reshuffle the deck.
Every once in a while, change up your discovery preferences when it comes to age and proximity. You don’t want to play with the same deck until you run out of cards because then you run out of not just fun, but a valuable means of procrastination.
3. DO avoid the Itchy Tinder Finger.
You can quickly go into autopilot when swiping left. So in order to avoid accidentally swiping away the one and agonizing over it for the rest of your life, find a piece of music with a moderate beat, and only swipe on the beat. The beat will give you the extra second to actually register each person.
4. DON’T feel guilty for serial left-swiping.
If you suffer from undue guilt for the callous dismissal of members of your species, or if music is forbidden by your religion and you need an alternate solution for Number 3, before swiping, simply mouth each person’s name that appears under their picture. That way you’ll buy enough time to respectfully acknowledge them before swiping them to oblivion.
5. DO be paranoid and look over your shoulder when swiping in a public place such as a restaurant.
Since Tinder is proximity-based, you never know if the person you’re wiping out of existence isn’t the waiter standing above you or a patron at a nearby table who can see your phone screen.
6. DON’T automatically swipe away your friends.
If the two of you were gonna get together, it would’ve happened before Tinder.
But if your friend knows you’re on Tinder, you’ll have to swipe right instead of left so that you’ll both sit in each other’s matches collecting dust out of courtesy.
7. DO ditch the guesswork.
A shot of a Tinder user along with two of his/her best friends having the grandest time at a pig roast as the main profile picture? What if you develop an instant crush on the wrong one?
We get it. The user knows other people. Here’s a tip: If it’s just the user in the shot and far enough for it not to be a selfie, those of us with brain cells can deduce that he/she likely knows at least one other human being in this world who was willing to take their picture.
But powers of deduction go only so far, and if there are two or more people in the main picture, it takes one swipe to get rid of them all.
8. DON’T ignore body language.
If there’s a hint of tongue in the main profile picture, or if the same two people appear in all six profile pictures, you wouldn’t be remiss to assume that activities involving said organ or said twosome are proffered. Just saying.
9. DO use Tinder as a neighborhood suitability gauge.
Tinder shows you users based on your current location, so if users or anyone in their pictures have questionable facial hair, welcome to Hipsterville and park yourself for a craft cocktail.
If every user has a teardrop tattoo, wear Kevlar.
10. DON’T hesitate to swipe left based on a user’s poor judgment or poor taste.
Every fifty or so user looking for a date thinks it’s a good idea to post a picture of themselves tongue-kissing a stripper or body builder.
Every twenty or so user hopes a good way to win you over involves a picture of both of their middle fingers directed at you.
Every ten or so user thinks a good way to attract a date is through a picture of themselves wearing a Hannibal Lecter muzzle.
These will be your most life-affirming swipes left.
11. DO pat or otherwise stroke yourself for allotting time to this meaningful work.
Spending forty minutes shuttling away humanity only means you’re that much closer to going through every person in a hundred mile radius until you find the one offspring of perfection that is meant for you.
12. DON’T doubt yourself when you see a profile you’re sure you swiped away last week.
Instead, feel validated that you made the right decision the first time around. This sneaky user deleted and then reactivated their account to be back in your pink Tinder sonar circle.
Simply enjoy the satisfaction of swiping them left a second time.
Finally, if you’re ever faced with the ominous “there are no more matches in your area,” don’t fret. Know that you’ve filled a quota, and do feel a sense of accomplishment, because swiping is exhausting work.
You’ve done well for the day and more people will appear shortly for you to swipe away.
~ More Gunmetal Geisha on LAP ~
What are your Tinder stories?
Tell Gunmetal Geisha below, and don’t forget to follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook. You can also find her at gunmetalgeisha.com where she suffers from chronic dichotomy.
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I’m officially old. This is really a thing? I’m going to hold off on Tinder and build up my multidirectional swiping technique first… with Candy Crush.
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I’m officially old too, but it doesn’t stop me. Also, lately I’ve noticed some of the 50-year-olds on Tinder are much hotter than some of the 30-year-olds.
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No surprises there.
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Is there a way to just skip someone? I just want to be nosy and see what is out there, not actually be swiped myself!
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There’s no skip option, and I can’t decide if that’s good or bad. Instant decisiveness, I guess.
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Though I have been taken for some time, I have always had a curiousity about Tinder. Not to the extent that I would ever use it, but just to see how it works. Thanks for an actual decent explanation. Now I know and knowing half the battle.
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Well good, I will always fight half of your battles for you. I think I’m supposed to get you a movie deal too. Of course that would require you to write a script first…
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A valuable resource for practicing judgement skills based on superficiality.
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Especially since judgment and superficiality tend to go hand in and hand…
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So true! Bosom buddies, those two…
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This is crazy, GG! Your tips about swiping to music or saying the name I’m sure will be helpful. What a crack up. I’ve never done this since I’ve married for centuries. Ha ha. What a strange world we live in. It’s so strange they can reactivate their account and come back. Do you feel haunted in your dreams by repeat images? Great post!
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Amy, I get haunted in my dreams just by the types of pictures people are willing to post of themselves!
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If I were still dating, and assuming I would use Tinder swiping to find a potential mate, I would definitely follow your advice by swiping to a musical beat. Probably to “Flight of the Bumble Bee.”
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I think that would accelerate, rather than decelerate the Itchy Tinder Finger!
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My point exacty.
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Can I buy an “L” for “exacty” in my last comment?
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So freaking funny to read it all out, after having an in-person lesson with you in San Jose. I suppose it was more of a class, really, since you were teaching the entire table.
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I liked how some of the married women had it “just to see what it’s about.” Ahem.
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If I were single I would totes be doing this ….. allllllll the time! I think doing it to music is brilliant, maybe “White Wedding” by Billy Idol or “Pussy Liquor” by Rob Zombie.
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I was using electro-swing, but White Wedding is perfect. It’s got the beat, the suspense, and the right amount of darkness. I need to hear the Rob Zombie song too…
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GG! Welcome to LAP! Wahtcha doin’ sneaking around here without a note on your own blog that you’re here? Trying to avoid us? Huh? Huh?
Ha! Great post – the first I heard of this is when Aussa mentioned you were a pro – instant GA (geographical availability)- Love it. They should have a “maybe” category where you swipe down and their profile’s parked in a waiting queue (gotta wonder why that is pronounced “Q” ) for future consideration. I hear you have become somewhat of a superuser of Tnder? Is that true?
Oh, I sent you an e-mail a while back, and I know you get behind sometimes, so just a friendly reminder (or in case it went into your spam file).
Very funny and instructive post – I bet you could supplement your income by teaching seminars on Tinder. That would be fun.
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Hi Paul, as you mentioned, I’m so behind that I haven’t even been to my own blog… Glad to see you here though!
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Make sure you swipe the douchebags to the left 😉
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We need to link back to our interesting discussion on this topic on your post. 😉
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Like a FART in church.
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Haha, should I get rid of it?
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I can’t get that link to work GG.
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Try now, Paul.
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Yep, works now, Thanks GG. Oh, it just occurred to me that “GA” could also be short for the dynamic duo “GG-Aussa” . Ha!
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I’m happy I’m married, no need to swipe.
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People in relationships almost always feel relieved to be in one once they see the nonsense us singles go through.
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No question about it, plus I have 3 kids, aged 20, 22, & 25, and I see their pain. It actually makes me want to cry sometimes.
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It’s such entertainment! Those pictures! And the words people find acceptable to represent themselves–it makes me thankful for my education. I’m a serial lefty though. It’s like reality TV without the TV.
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If only you could swipe left in real life.
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And Photoshop in real life…
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GG! Great to see you back! I was afeared you’d given up on us. Great post. Hope all is well with you. How are the studies coming? Are you getting much work? I look forward to hearing more from you. Take care.
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Ha! I just realized this popped into my e-mail because I had followed it in 2014 and someone made a comment today – not because it was a new post.. Ha! Sorry!
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Ha, and you’d forgotten you’d read it? Tsk tsk.
I haven’t given up on you — I’m about to bombard you with posts from every direction, don’t you worry.
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Thanks for reading my blog. I invite you to follow it- I will follow your blog as well.beebeesworld
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The collective blog can not refollow, as WordPress isn’t set up that way, but I already follow your blog, and have for years. Thanks for stopping by.
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