New York City is one of the greatest cities in the world – that’s science.
It also has a population of close to 8.5 million people. Add in people who commute, as well as people in neighboring cities, and that puts New York City well beyond 10 million. Of those 10 million-plus people, there are a lot of singles in the mix.
I like to think about dating in fishing terms. New York City is a fairly big ocean overpopulated with fish that want to do nothing but eat. Put a line in the water, you’ll get a bite.
The more lines you have in the water, the better chance you’ll have at getting a bite. That ideology applies to people who are looking for something serious, and even more so to those who are looking for fun. It’s a numbers game, folks.
Enter Tinder.
People are constantly on the move in Manhattan and most people are way too busy to take the time to actively date. Tinder was designed for people on the go … and for people looking for quick hook ups, but that’s for a later column. It gives users a ton of options in a matter of seconds, and it’s easy to start communicating.
I once had a Tinder date tell me she worked so much during the week, and sometimes weekends, that she had no time in her schedule to go out and find a date. Tinder was an easy way for her to meet guys – a quick match, a quick message, and boom, a quick date. If the date worked out, great! If not, then she really didn’t waste any time and she got a few free drinks out of it.
So as not to leave my faithful readers with a cliffhanger, I went on two dates with the aforementioned girl. She got her drinks. And I got what I was looking for. End of story.
But back to the point of this particular entry.
Online dating used to have a certain stigma attached to it. People who used online dating were people who couldn’t get dates in the real world. That stigma was never 100 percent true, and it’s even less true today.
We live in a digital world. Online dating like Tinder just makes everyone’s lives infinitely easier.
Maybe you don’t have time to actively seek dates. Maybe a first interaction with someone is easier online than in person. Whatever the reason, Tinder is perfect for those who find themselves in an endless ocean of fish like New York City. Embrace it, and start putting some lines in the water.
Head to amNY.com every Friday for Matthew’s latest column. To inquire about NYC dating advice, email him at amnydating@gmail.com. Your question may appear in a future column, but no names will be used.
