Valentine’s Day is a day for couples to show just how much they really mean to each other by showering each other with gifts and affection. Hearts lace school corridors and Cupid’s arrows fill the air as single red roses and anonymous cards are passed under desks. People wake up optimistic that their long term crush will confess undying love for them and restaurants are filled with happy faces that clink their glasses to the exciting future ahead of them, whilst playing ‘Footsie’ under the table. Meanwhile the single population fill their freezers with ice cream and make sure they have a copy of Bridget Jones’ Diary to hand. But is this still the case?
In the past few years online dating and apps like ‘Tinder’ have become increasingly popular and have changed the dating world dramatically as a date can be found at the end of a text. With 26 million single people using Tinder every day, could the shape and traditions of Valentine’s Day, and even romance, have been changed forever?
Tinder’s idea of matching people solely on their appearance has, in my opinion, made romance rather shallow. This is especially the case when you consider its prominence in the younger generations[a]. It seems to be making physical attraction much more important to people than mental connections and traditional ‘chemistry’ that people can share. Without real ‘feelings’ can love and long term relationships really be found? The speed and ease of Tinder has also changed romance. With all the single people in your local area available to talk to on your phone the traditional ways of meeting people are disappearing. Why going out and trying to catch a cute guy’s eye from across the bar and flirt your way into an exchange of numbers when you can take off your makeup, put on your pyjamas and talk to people on the sofa while catching up on last night’s Corrie? The excitement of romance is becoming scarce as a technology obsessed generation are becoming lazier.
The well loved traditions of Valentine’s Day are also fading as people that usually spend the evening with their Duvet and Bridget Jones can, within minutes, set up a ‘no strings attached date’ with a person sharing their misery. But will this really make them feel better? After the date the chances are, like with many before, that they will never see or speak to each other again. Surely this will heighten the sense of loneliness around the day and make Valentine’s Day even worse. 68% of people that use Tinder will go on a date with one of their ‘Matches’. Considering that so many people do this, would the spontaneous Valentine’s Day date make the day any different to a normal evening or weekend that a regular Tinder user might have? Therefore you could say that Tinder has not only changed the traditions of romance and Valentine’s Day but that it could be getting rid of Valentine’s Day altogether.
