Teens using dating apps for prom

One of my classmates from my Journalism class opens up Tinder to find out she got a match and maybe a potential prom date.

Teens+using+dating+apps+for+prom

In the midst of prom season, some students are feeling the pressure to find a prom date or of getting asked in an Instagram-worthy way. There are many ways students can get asked to prom, some traditional and some not.

The traditional way of getting a prom date was typically the guy, with courage, would put time and effort in asking a girl they like. For those who were in relationships had it easier because they knew the other person would say yes. There were also students who would decide to just go with friends or with a friend of a friend.

More recently, there has been more female empowerment and more women are starting to realize they don’t need a guy to work up the courage to ask them to prom. Some just gather up their friends and go to prom on a party bus.

Due to the evolution of social media and dating apps, a new trend of asking and getting a prom date has arisen. Students are starting to look for a potential prom date on dating apps such as Tinder and Bumble. There have been reports on teens going on Tinder to find a prom date. The article, “Swipe right for prom: how teens are using tinder” by Noel Duan provides an insight of a teen using Tinder. The article stated, “There is one uniquely teenage dilemma that spans generations of Americans, at least, that may have been solved by Tinder: finding a date to the prom dance. Before Tinder (or apps) existed, if you wanted to go to prom with someone outside of school and you didn’t know anyone, you’d trust your friends to set you up on a blind date. But Tinder cuts out the middleman – you can vet your blind dates yourself.”

While Tinder has the reputation of being a hookup app, there is another side to it. It has also become an app where some women go on for friendships. The article, “Apps let more women ‘swipe right’ to find friends” by Jillian Kitchener talks about how friend finding apps blossomed from Tinder, as well as Bumble BFF and GirlCrew. Kitchener says, “Both women had previously used dating apps to meet men. But they met each other on a break from romance…”

I decided to do an experiment and find out first hand if people on Tinder and Bumble are actually okay with going to prom with someone. Ashley and Bella (names are changed for privacy) downloaded Tinder to find a prom date. Ashley observed that, “Guys with shirtless pictures are an obvious no. Getting a super like gave me more hope on finding a prom date. However, I didn’t end up finding a prom date (on Tinder).” Bella said, “It was really interesting and funny to see how many people were actually down to go to prom together.”

Jasmine downloaded Bumble to see if she could find a prom date. Jasmine said, “It was difficult because most of them weren’t local. I didn’t find a prom date because most guys on Bumble wanted something serious or a fling.”

With the age minimum being 18, people lie about their age, like how some people lie about their appearance. This can be dangerous to an extent because students younger than 18 can be exposed to adults with an intention other than going to prom with them. Students should use dating apps with caution.

Out of the 30 people Bella talked to on Tinder, 26 people said they would go to prom with someone they met on a dating app such as Tinder, whereas four people said no. Someone that said yes said, “I would try to find a prom date on Tinder because I wouldn’t want to go with anyone from school.” Someone who voted no said, “I’d rather find a prom date that I’ve met in person.”

There’s no doubt that teen dating culture has evolved because of technology. Now, evidently it has affected prom. Getting asked to prom has gone from getting asked through a phone call to getting asked at school by your friends, to getting asked on a dating app. Finding a prom date on a dating app can be positive because you can have a chance of meeting new people and prom is a secure place to hang out. It can be a negative thing because people aren’t always who they say they are online.

However, some students still prefer the traditional way of getting asked. The three people who did the experiment ended up getting asked to prom after the experiment. Ashley said, “It was unexpected, but it was very cute and I was flattered. He put a lot of thought and effort into it because he used one of my favorite artists as inspiration for the promposal. You probably wouldn’t get this experience from finding a prom date on a dating app.” Jasmine said, “I wasn’t expecting anyone to ask me to prom. I was really surprised when I did. I’m more excited now to go to prom.” Bella said, “I was surprised when I got asked. The promposal was cute and I know I’ll have fun with prom date.” All three felt that getting asked to prom was better than going on a dating app to find a prom date because the promposal was thoughtful and sweet.