There’s always one section in Barnes and Noble you cannot be bothered to walk through because all you can think about is the watered-down storytelling or the 2-D personalities of the characters.
Surely there’s an old adage for this kind of thing.
It’s hard to stroll into the less-frequented sections of our lives that expose us to differing ideas, especially in the online dating scene where assumptions can be made within seconds based on a few labels.
Dating apps reflect preferences for sure, but they also avoid discomfort. When something like political identity becomes another filter alongside height and hobbies, we risk eliminating meaningful exposure to individuals who think differently.
Personal values are not as black and white (or red and blue) as they are made out to be and when a dating profile presents one way, it can be easily misinterpreted.
“It might give off the impression you’re something that you’re not and with dating apps you can’t really get the full nuance of a person,” said Sophia Lee, a sophomore and former dating app user. “I try my best not to put people in these boxes, but it’s definitely hard. Especially now with how fast-paced dating apps can be.”
Fast-paced is putting it lightly. A survey conducted by Forbes Health found a quarter of users spend around 31-60 seconds per profile. One of the main contributors to these snap judgments is today’s muddied political climate, which makes it hard to separate party from person.
The terms Democrat, Republican, Liberal and Conservative carry a lot of political baggage, making it easy to associate any of their values with a profile donning their label. With a seemingly infinite amount of potential partners at a user’s disposal, many may feel compelled to seek ideologically compatible suitors.
Lee believes the current political climate necessitates finding someone of similar values, especially as political platforms shift to “morals and ethics rather than actual politics,” a stark difference from how our society dated in the past.
There was, at one point, a willingness to date across the aisle. Dr. Charles Hunt, an associate professor at the school of public service, described dating someone of the opposing party as less of a challenge back in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
The combination of the current climate and the design of modern dating platforms may be accelerating us away from that willingness. Even if dating app users don’t explicitly state their political identity on their profile, it’s become significantly easier to assume based on stereotypical characteristics.
“Being a Democrat or being a Republican is more predictable than it used to be,” said Hunt. “To the point where if you know three pieces of information about somebody, you can make a more educated guess about which party they probably support.”
A potential partner’s beliefs displayed on their online profile can be more telling of their character than a personal ad in the paper 50 or 60 years ago. Once a few fun facts are presented, it’s not too difficult to package a potential prospect into a box and ship them off to the left or right with a swipe.
Chloe Sellers, a Tinder and Hinge user, prefers learning the “demographics of a person” like height, sobriety and political affiliation on a profile because it helps gauge if someone is a potential match, rather than just going off visuals.
“On Tinder, most of the time it’ll just say what they’re looking for with pictures of themselves,” said Sellers. “You’re not actually getting a viewpoint of who they are as a person, only what they look like, which isn’t a great indicator.”
While the additional information is intended to humanize users, it also puts them in a box, as Sellers noted that even the absence of a political label invites assumptions.
“For guys that don’t put their political affiliation, I can normally assume which way it’s going to go,” said Sellers. “If you’re apolitical, it can be bad, especially right now. It’s important to be involved, so seeing whether or not people are is important.”
College years are the time when political identities are still forming. According to Hunt, it’s when we’re the most “malleable” in our belief system. Intentional or not, dating apps encourage users to seek ideological alignment during a formative period in building those systems — trying to shift those stances later in life is like trying to leave waist-high quicksand.
“After that period [mid 20s], it becomes more difficult to change your mind about which political party you’re going to support,” Hunt said. “Those things are really sticky the farther you go down in life.”
These modern platforms offer something unique to younger generations in finding a partner — endless choice. However, that abundance encourages us to filter out our differences rather than discuss them. You do not have to finish every book in the store, but refusing to open one ensures your perception remains as 2-D as the characters on the page.
Reporting contributed by Cole McAdams.
