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Chris Hull
Dr. McLaughlin
Multimedia WR 13300
3 April 2015
Tinder: Enhancing Hookup Cultures and Tempting Pure Love since 2012
What does this generation of college students have that their parents generation did not
have to help them try to find love? Tinder. Of course, like their parents generation, this
generation of college students can meet their significant others at parties, in class, at the library,
at the dining hall, or at sporting events. However, Tinder enters the picture so that college
students can meet online before they meet at one of the above physical locations. Before apps
like Tinder were even around, college dating had been progressing into a culture centered on
hookups. What constitutes a hookup varies from state schools to private schools, but the
underlying definition of a hookup is when students are having relations outside of "relationshiplock," for lack of a better word. From state schools to private schools, Tinder has only enhanced
the hookup culture and has made it only more challenging for Christian college students to find
pure love. Pure love is exemplified in a relationship that puts God first and that centers on loving
rather than lusting each other. More so than ever before, these students have to avoid the
temptation of falling into the hookup culture that is amplified by Tinder. Tinders influence has
reinforced the hookup culture, which has been changing how dating is carried out on college
campuses. This, in turn, comes with general consequences for all college students and particular
consequences for Christian college students. By understanding how Tinder works, for whom it
works, when it works, and why it works, and by understanding the hookup culture ever-present
on college campuses, Christian college students searching for pure love not only can avoid

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consequences that come along with Tinder and with hookups, but also can be reassured that pure
love is the path to the most happiness.
Tinder makes dating simple, casual, and convenient, as evidenced by the functions
embedded in the app. Molly Wood, a writer for the New York Times, comments on the functions
of Tinder, noting that the app lets its users scan photos and short profiles of potential dates. Users
simply swipe left on the screen if they are not interested in the person presented, and they simply
swipe right if they are interested in the person presented. Then, the user will be notified when a
person that they swiped right on swiped right on them as well. This constitutes a Tinder match,
and from this point on the fun begins. The matched users are brought to a chat, where they can
talk in order to set up a date, or more likely a hookup. Nick Brothers, a writer for the Arkansas
Traveler, argues that at the chatting stage it is up to ones texting charisma and emoji use in order
to secure a date, or a hookup. Essentially, Brothers is conveying that it comes down to how well
each user can flirt with the match they are assumedly already attracted to. The aforementioned
functions aforementioned are how Tinder works as a simple, casual, and convenient dating app;
but, why, for whom, and when, do these functions work?
Since Tinder users are only viewing a mere screenshot of their potential match, a persons
identity on Tinder is strategically limited to the most attractive photos of himself/herself and to
the most appealing words in a profile section about himself/herself. After taking into
consideration the size allocated for pictures compared to the size allocated for profiles on the
app, profiles are truly optional on Tinder because matching is mostly aesthetically based.
Therefore, the physically attractive are primarily for whom Tinder works. With this being said
and with what Brothers argued in mind, Tinder not only works for the good-looking charmers but
also for the seductive, meaning those whom have lustful intentions. In addition to whom Tinder

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works for, Tinder works when matched users have the same intentions. Brothers interviewed
Emily Murray, a senior marketing and economics student at the University of Arkansas, who was
looking for guy-friends on Tinder; however, Murray ended up deleting her Tinder account
because she was not interested in the hookup culture surrounding the app. On the other hand,
Brothers interviewed another University of Arkansas student, Caleb Shelton, and Shelton found
that for some the app has proven to be successful in meeting dates. Thus, successful Tinder
meetings occur when the matched pair has the same intentions, unlike Murrays experience with
the app. Lastly, Tinder works because it targets an audience that desires a simpler, more causal,
more convenient way of dating. Wood interviewed Amarnath Thombre, president of Match.com,
and Thombre acknowledged that Tinder was creating an entirely new audience of digital daters.
Thombre specified what he meant by this new audience, stating that this young demographic is
mainly eighteen to twenty-five year olds (Wood). What this means for Christian college students
is that they fall under the flourishing Tinder age group. Therefore, not only do Christian college
students have to understand how Tinder works, for whom it works, when it works, and why it
works, but they also have to understand how Tinder adds onto the hookup culture by diminishing
dating, by causing students to reevaluate whether long term relationships are worth it, and by
enhancing the trend of hookup-started relationships.
For a majority of college students, dating requires too much effort and is not worth the
stress when Tinder supplies hookups that are simpler, more casual, and more convenient options.
According to Connie Lunanuova, the Features Editor for her college's newspaper, dating has
been diminished to the point where it appears to be missing from the collegiate vernacular (1).
Tinder adds to the diminishment of dating by expediting the dating process. For example, Tinder
saves users time and effort by only allowing them to message other users that matched with

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them. The match filter on Tinder establishes interest right from the start, which is normally a
lengthy, and sometimes grueling, process for those who met in person, and immediately cuts to
the chase by starting a conversation. These conversations normally reveal that intentions for most
Tinder relationships are physically based, meaning hookup oriented, which is not surprising
considering Tinders aesthetically based match filter. Therefore, Tinder adds to the diminishment
of dating by simply expediting the normally lengthy dating process, which, in turn, leads to more
intended physical hookups.
With hookups occurring more and more thanks to Tinder, college students now have to
reevaluate whether relationships are truly worth their time and effort. Natalie Delgadillo, a writer
for the Daily Bruin, claims that, "long term committed relationships seem to be falling by the
wayside. Long-term relationships are becoming less attractive because this generation of
college students has a reluctance to commit (Delgadillo). This reluctance to commit stems from
the fact that college students are free to hookup with whomever they please. With hookups
evidently appearing as the more attractive option, why should one commit to a long-term
relationship? This is a difficult question for college students to answer because it appears that
there is remarkably no need to formally pursue a person of interest or to plan to commit to one
person with hookups being the social norm.
At this point, some critics may claim that a hookup is the sugarcoated version of a onenight-stand; however, this is not the case. According to a research study at Stanford University
conducted by Professor Paula England, most college students hookup with the same person more
than once and sometimes up to ten times. Additionally, it is actually not uncommon for hookup
partners to go out on a date after a successful hookup (England). Not only does this date signal
that there is mutual interest in a potential relationship it also affirms Professor Englands

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conclusion that many current college relationships have started from a hookup. Therefore,
hookups are just not one-night-stands but rather they are potential starting points for
relationships. Tinder comes into the picture by leading to more intended hookups, which, in turn,
increases the chances of more relationships starting with a hookup. Therefore, by increasing
chances, Tinder enhances the trend of hookup-started relationships found in Professor Englands
research.
Although Tinder and hooking up may appear to be more attractive options for this
generation of college students, Tinder and hooking up come with various consequences that
should not go unnoticed. First, a physical consequence is that Tinder and hookups have coincided
with recent outbreaks of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (Bhattacharya). This is a major
problem for college students that consider hooking up as sexual intercourse. Students have to
keep in mind that Tinder has inevitably succeeded at its goal to help users find the nearest
available hookup. However, the consequence of this success is that Tinder has opened up social
networks in which disease would previously have been contained (Bhattacharya). Therefore, this
generation must be very careful with whom they decide to hookup with from Tinder. In addition
to spreading disease and as touched on earlier, Tinder and the hookup culture have enhanced the
lack of commitment found in this generation. This is a major consequence because committed
relationships are a source of many peoples happiness and growth (Delgadillo). Through a
committed relationship, not only can one learn about what he/she wants in a significant other but
also one can experience happiness from being loved and cared for by a significant other. Thus,
by casually hooking up in college and not attempting to commit to someone in a relationship,
this generation risks missing out on the aforementioned happiness and growth. Finally, another
emotional consequence is that the love that Tinder creates is noncommittal, which restricts

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Tinder relationships to exclusive hookups. Professors Alan K. Goodboy and Melanie BoothButterfield conducted research over the six love styles: eros, storge, ludus, pragma, mania, and
agape, and how these love styles related to a desire for closeness in romantic relationships. The
love styles that are applicable to Tinder are eros and ludus. Eros love tends to focus on passion
and physical attraction, and ludus love tends to view love as a game, where the ludic lover
manipulates situations that are advantageous for himself/herself (Goodboy and Booth-Butterfield
191-192). It is apparent how these two love styles apply to Tinder love because Tinder users
choose partners based on physical attraction and because users manipulate their identities in
order to advantageously appear more attractive and appealing. In their research, Goodboy and
Booth-Butterfield found that eros lovers actively move their relationships to more intimate
levels, whereas ludus lovers are content with maintaining distance (195). This is something that
this generation should be mindful of because the love that Tinder creates is content with
maintaining distance, meaning the love is noncommittal. With noncommittal love, not only is a
Tinder relationship incapable of turning into a long-term relationship it is also content with
amounting to nothing more than exclusive hookups. These three consequences are a few
examples of the negative side effects of Tinder and hookups that all college students of this
generation should be mindful of. However, Christian college students should not only be mindful
of the aforementioned consequences but also consequences that inhibit their pursuit of pure love.
Before additional consequences for Christian college students are addressed, what is at
stake for them must first be established. For Christian college students seeking pure love,
ultimately, the most amount of happiness they can experience in a relationship is at stake. Above
everything else, pure love attentively follows and partakes in the greatest commandment from
Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels, where Christ says to love God first and then to love thy neighbor

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(New American Bible Revised Edition, Matt. 22.35-40, Mark. 12.28-31, Luke 10.25-28). Even
though Jesus was addressing the question of one man in particular in the Gospels, the
commandment applies to couples as well. Why is it that Christian college couples are to love
God first and then to leave each other, though? The answer comes down to one word: happiness.
Happiness is something that is desired by all people, regardless of religious affiliation. For
Christians, though, according to Professor William C. Mattison, fullness of life, or happiness, is
perfected when one is in full union with God (202). When Professor Mattison writes, full union
with God, he is referring to a place where there is no separation between Christians and God,
most commonly known as heaven. Full union with God is not completely experienced on earth
because this world is marred by sin (254). In his book, Mattison builds off of the Catechism of
the Catholic Church, stating that sin is an offense to reason, truth, and right conscience, which
means that sin is an offense against God because He out of great love for us guides to live
according to truth (235). The fact that happiness in this world is incomplete because of sin is
alarming to some. However, it should not be because incomplete happiness is a given on earth
because it is inherently human to sin. What is not a given, though, is heaven on earth. This clich
is relevant and true for Christian couples that put God first because it is through union with God
that Christians will experience the most happiness. This begs the question: how do Christians
partake in union with God in this world and experience the most happiness?
First, Christian college couples must avoid lust at all cost. In the Catholic Church, lust is
one of the seven deadly sins, and, according to Professor Mattison, lust uses sex, something that
is supposed to bond people together, in order to fulfill inordinate desires for sexual pleasure
(246). According to Christ himself, man commits adultery when he looks at a woman lustfully
(Matt. 5.27-28). Christian college couples have to be mindful of the spectrum of lust presented

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from these two accounts, considering that lust, like other sins, strains their relationship with God.
In order for Christian college couples to partake in union with God, they must avoid lust so that
they are not separated from God by sin.
Second, Christian college couples must want to put God first. It is through their desire to
put God first that reveals their character, which, in turn, reveals what they think happiness is and
how to pursue it (Mattison 44-45). A willingness to put God first not only follows the greatest
commandment to love God first but it also shows an intrinsic relationship between the couple
and God. Through this intrinsic relationship with God, the couple realizes that following Gods
commandments and teachings is one of the best ways to love Him. However, this is not a simple
task for this generation of couples. During her research, Professor Donna Freitas found that most
college students seem to think that religious teachings about sexuality are outdated and
impossible to hold (218). This finding is affirmed by the survey she conducted at various
colleges, as almost 74% of students at spiritual colleges reported to have been sexually active in
some way, with even higher percentages for students at private-secular schools and public
schools (161-162). This survey reveals that following religious teachings is truly perceived as
impossible and that happiness can be found elsewhere for most college students. However,
Christian college couples must remember that happiness is perfected when in union with God.
With this fact in mind, Christian college couples that want to put God first can overcome the
temptations of lust and can begin an intrinsic relationship with God that will lead them to the
most happiness.
Third, Christian college couples must honor God with their actions. What this means is
that couples must put the first two aforementioned points into action. Out of love for God,
couples are to follow his commandments and teachings in order to not fall into the temptations

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from lust, which simply means that couples are to stay pure. Purity is freedom from moral
corruption or sexual uncleanness (Freitas 78). The Catholic Church is very clear that couples
should not partake in fornication (CCC 2353). However, where to draw the line for other actions
gets a little blurry, which leads to the conclusion that pure actions outside of fornication are
subject to the couples discretion. With avoiding lust on their minds and acting out of love in
their hearts, couples will be able to decipher what actions are inherently lustful and what actions
are not. By staying pure in their actions, meaning avoiding lust and putting God first, couples
show honor to the God they love, and they shall experience the most happiness by partaking in
union with Him.
With an understanding of what is at stake and a desire to preserve it, Christian college
couples are better equipped to avoid the explicit consequences they face from Tinder and
hookups on their campuses. These consequences strain students relationships with God, prompt
students to miss out on the most happiness, and cause students to be incapable of experiencing
Christian romance and pure love.
First, keeping in mind that Tinder works for the seductive, Christian college students
must not forget the most prominent example of seduction in the Bible, where the devil, as a
serpent, seduced Adam and Eve into eating fruit from the middle tree in the Garden of Eden
(Gen. 3). This is not to say that seductive Tinder users are the devil, but rather that the devil led
Adam and Eve into sin, which is something that seductive Tinder users are prone to do with their
lustful intentions. Tinder leads students into hookups, which are inherently lustful, considering
that a hookup temporarily satisfies students inordinate desire for sexual pleasure. Noting that
hookups are lustful, Christian college students should be mindful of hookup-started relationships,

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which were founded on lust. Not only do these relationships fail to last but also, more
importantly, they strain students relationships with God by acting out of lust and not love.
Additionally, these relationships are harmful to the couple, considering that Tinder
relationships and hookups exhibit noncommittal love. With noncommittal love, these couples are
not capable of wholeheartedly committing and loving each other, which forsakes the second half
of the greatest commandment. This is problematic because according to Mattison love is willing
the good of another, meaning the others happiness (300). By not committing, these couples will
not experience the joy in celebrating an anniversary, the sense of protection in a significant
others embrace, or the gratitude shared from a significant others constant care. What these
examples portray is that these couples miss out on the most happiness given by each other but
also on the most happiness given by God by not following His commandment.
Lastly, these relationships are sexual and not romantic. Keeping in mind that around
three-fourths of college students have been sexually active in some way and that Tinder has only
enhanced the hookup culture, it would be foolish to say that Tinder relationships do not lead to
sex. For Christians, romance can be better understood as acting out pure love, as evidenced in
Song of Songs 4. In this beautiful poem, the man metaphorically proclaims that his lover is a
garden locked and a fountain sealed (Song of Songs. 4.12). The metaphor symbolizes his lovers
virginity and the chastity in their relationship. This Old Testament passage is a beautiful example
of Christian romance; however, for some, this passage would fall into the category of outdated
Christian teachings. Yet, according to the current college students Freitas surveyed, 79% of them
stated a romantic relationship is one that leaves out sexual intimacy (107-108). Moreover, hardly
ever did any of the students stories about romance include anything sexual (107). Not only do
these current students testimonies affirm the idea that this passage is not outdated but also they

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affirm that Christian college couples can experience romance and pure love without sex,
something that a Tinder or a hookup-started relationship cannot offer.
In summary, Tinder makes dating simpler, causal, and convenient, which, in turn,
enhances the lustful hookup culture on college campuses. Also, Tinders influence on the hookup
culture has contributed to the diminishment of romantic dating, to reevaluations of committed
long-term relationships, and to the sinful trend of hookup-started relationships. For all college
students, Tinders influence comes with consequences, such as: spreading STIs, missing out on
happiness and growth, and creating noncommittal love. However, for Christian college students,
there are more severe consequences, such as: straining relationships with God, missing out on the
most happiness, and not experiencing romance and pure love. Although not an exhaustive list,
these consequences should be instrumental reminders for Christian college students that their
pursuit of pure love truly will lead them to the most happiness. Christian college couples should
be mindful of the temptation on their campuses due to Tinder and hookups; however, they should
be mindful and reassured that if they put God first, center on loving rather than lusting, and want
to partake in the most happiness offered by God, then their love will bear all things, believe all
things, hope all things, endure all things, and never fail (1 Corinthians 13.7-8).

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Works Cited
Bhattacharya, Shaoni. "Swipe and burn." New Scientist 225.3002 (2015): 30-33. Academic
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Brothers, Nick. Tinder Kindles College Relationships. University Wire 20 Dec. 2013.
ProQuest. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.
Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd ed. Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana,
2012. Print.
Delgadillo, Natalie. Natalie Delgadillo: Changing College Dating Culture has its Share of
Benefits. University Wire 14 Feb. 2014. ProQuest. Web. 17 Mar. 2015
England, Paula. Understanding Hookup Culture: What's Really Happening on College
Campuses. Media Education Foundation, 2011. DVD.
Freitas, Donna. Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance, and Religion on
America's College Campuses. Cary, NC: Oxford UP, 2008. ProQuest. Web. 18 Mar.
2015.
Goodboy, Alan K., and Melanie Booth-Butterfield. "Love Styles and Desire for Closeness in
Romantic Relationships. Psychological Reports 105.1 (2009): 191-197. Web. 17. Mar.
2015.
Lunanuova, Connie. Dating downturn: How the hookup culture has overshadowed college
dating. UWIRE TEXT 18 March 2014. 1. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 17 Mar.
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Mattison, William C. Introducing Moral Theology: True Happiness and the Virtues. Grand
Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2008. Print.

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Senior, Donald, John J. Collins, and Mary Ann Getty, eds. The Catholic Study Bible: The New
American Bible Revised Edition. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2011. Print.
Wood, Molly. "Led by Tinder, the Mobile Dating Game Surges." New York Times 5 Feb. 2015:
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