A group of girlfriends gathers at Babys All Right, a Brooklyn bar, to play a Tinder drinking game.
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But Fisher doesn't rule out these apps' ability to help people find love. Picture selection can indicate a lot about a person, and physical attraction has always been a key determining factor in mating.
Hope is fueled by stories of real matches made via app, however rare. Christopher and Janie George went on their first Tinder date last March when Janie, 19, invited him to accompany her to the NCAA basketball tournament using tickets she'd received from a different Tinder acquaintance. "The first thing her dad said to me was, 'Hey, you aren't one of those Tinder boys, are ya?'" Christopher, 26, recalls. "I just said no." He came clean before walking down the aisle of the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City in January.
Besides, I'm not sure I can go back to analog dating. I use Netflix to suggest movies and Pandora to suggest music, and my phone and apps are central to my life. So I'll keep using these services. Frustrating as this game is, sometimes it works. Sometimes you get a real-life experience that makes the swiping worth it. My first Hinge date took me on the Staten Island Ferry. We were engrossed in the view of the Statue of Liberty as commuters around us bent over their screens playing Candy Crush. Before the date ended, we made plans to meet again. Whether or not it's game over, at least I'm enjoying this round.