Samantha Kurzman giggled as she stared at her smartphone, thumbing through her lengthy list of Tinder messages that ranged from the mildly awkward to the blushingly offensive.
“Oh, God,” the 21-year-old public relations senior said.
Although Kurzman said she downloaded the relationship app as a joke, online dating for college-educated 20-somethings has become especially common, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center. Pew’s survey found that one in 10 Americans have consulted their computer or cell phone while looking for love.
Tinder is one of the top trending tools among college students. It matches users based on location and interests listed on their Facebook pages. Compatible profiles are presented like a slideshow. If users are mutually interested, they are allowed to message each other.
“It’s funny to see how many people are actually using the app,” Kurzman said.
Adriana Di Graziano, a former campus representative for the DateMySchool website and app, said the site is one of the safest and most effective networking site for students. Instead of scrolling through strangers, students can look for a study buddy or a lifelong partner, she said.
“It’s just a way to get into communication with other college students,” said the 20-year-old public relations sophomore.
Risks aside, both Di Graziano and Kurzman said they witnessed long-term success stories that started with virtual conversations.
“It turns out they’ve met really cool people,” Kurzman said.
But another issue is the privacy of personal information, UF social media specialist Bruce Floyd said.
“Anything that you’re reporting on Facebook is being leveraged by this new platform to connect you to another person,” Floyd said. “I would read through the terms of service and be aware of exactly what you’re releasing and what their intentions are with that content.”
Floyd also encouraged students to meet in public places if they choose to go on a date with other Tinder users.
“Just be careful,” he said. “We want all our Gators to be safe.”
A version of this story ran on page 5 on 10/24/2013 under the headline "UF students looking online for love"
