![\"Tinder](\"http:\/\/www.anfocal.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Tinder-logo.jpg\"){kind=logo}
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By Laura-Ashley N\u00ed Shuill\u00e9abh\u00e1in<\/p>\n
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Tinder is one of those golden age things that you either love or you hate. Like anything else it has its upsides and its downfalls. Tinder can be a bit of banter but there\u2019s a very thin line between being creepy or cute and seeming charming or desperate.<\/p>\n
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On the off chance that you don\u2019t know what tinder is you need to do two things – Firstly get out from the rock that you\u2019ve been living under and secondly go get yourself a social life. No I\u2019m just kidding.<\/p>\n
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Tinder is a social media platform where you put in your preferences in a \u2018companion\u2019 and then swipe left to reject and swipe right \u2018for a good time\u2019 as they say. Then if you match with a person you can chat away with them.<\/p>\n
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I suppose it\u2019s up to the individual what exactly they want to do with the app.<\/p>\n
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In some ways it depends on where you live as well. There\u2019s a big difference between using it at home (especially if you\u2019re in a more rural area like myself) and using it here in UL.<\/p>\n
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If you live in one of the big cities then you\u2019re grand. You can set your location preference with however many miles radius that you want without worrying that you\u2019ll see your geeky next door neighbour\u2019s profile and then you can avoid feeling bad when you reject him.<\/p>\n
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However if you live in the country or in a small town (and the app actually decides to work for once) then seeing your neighbour\u2019s profile is a daily struggle. It\u2019s so hard to find people near enough to you that you don\u2019t already know. You either have to change your km location range or your age range – although I\u2019m not sure if being matched with 25-year-olds can really be counted as a negative thing.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s a total different story in UL though. You\u2019re settings could literally be on any random thing and you\u2019ll still find plenty of people to chat away with. You don\u2019t have to worry about the awkward \u2018weren\u2019t you in my primary school?\u2019 moments or the \u2018I think you dated my older brother\u2019 fiascos.<\/p>\n
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When you\u2019re at home you also have to look out for the parents. Nothing more embarrassing than having to explain what tinder is and why exactly you\u2019re on it to dear old mom and dad.<\/p>\n
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At college you can whip out your phone and be showing off all your matches to your friends without them judging you because they\u2019ll be showing you their matches two seconds later.<\/p>\n
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As corny as it is to use the \u2018there\u2019s plenty of fish in the sea\u2019 line when it comes to UL it\u2019s actually true. There\u2019s plenty of people to choose from and even if you only use it for a bit of the craic then nobody\u2019s going to judge you. I know from experience that if you use the app in a more rural village\/town that everyone will look at you as if you\u2019re on the hunt for your future husband and they need to hide their eldest son from you.<\/p>\n
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When you\u2019re in college on a night out there\u2019s no fear of meeting one of your matches because there\u2019s too many people in the club to try and distinguish your match from your friends. At home? If you go to Aldi it\u2019s like you\u2019re expected to have a full face of makeup on for fear that you run into one of the guys you\u2019ve matched with.<\/p>\n
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Sometimes I think tinder is more trouble than it\u2019s worth but at the end of the day it\u2019s just for the craic. Is it likely that you\u2019ll meet your significant other on it? Probably not. But it\u2019s a chance to chat to people with the same interests without the hassle of having to get all done up to meet for coffee.<\/p>\n
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I have to ask though, what\u2019s with those occasions where you keep location turned off? I\u2019ve been paired with guys from Berlin for god\u2019s sake! I\u2019ve just taken it that Tinder wants me to be alone forever. Thanks Tinder. Thanks a lot.<\/p>\n