issue 3 // volume 44

 

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> Ethical non-monogamy is complicating Tinder

Illustration by Cara Seccafien

 

Jillian McMullen
Staff Writer

 

inder is arguably the most popular

way for millennials to meet other
singles in their area, and I, like most
23-year-old single women, casually use
the app. According to their website,
Tinder records 1.6 billion swipes a
day, which result in 1.5 million dates a
week. Most of these are planned in the
“traditional” style, with one romantically
unattached person meeting another
romantically unattached person in the
hopes that a connection can be formed.

However, while trying my hand at
scoring one of those 1.5 million dates,
I’ve noticed an increase in “couples
profiles.” Each time I come across one
of these profiles, an identical chain of
events usually occurs. The first picture is
usually just of one attractive person. So,
being intrigued, I swipe through the rest
of their pictures. This is when I notice
that person affectionately embracing
another specific person in each of their
other pictures. I consult their profile,
finding the typical list of basic personal
facts and interests: One guy is a data
analyst that’s really into synth music
and home-brewing; The would-be actor
originally from the East coast thinks Kurt
Vonnegut is pretty tight. However, at
the end of their lists is an introduction
of their partner and a disclaimer of
their “ethical-non-monogamy.”
Ethical non-monogamy is an

umbrella term that describes any intimate
practice in which all parties involved are
generally aware of and consent to having
sexual relationships with more than

one person. This can be something as
simple as not being into commitment,

to being in a committed relationship

with one person, but one that allows

for sexual experiences—both together
and separate—with other people.

It complicates Tinder mostly in the
way that it has deterred people from
using the app. Typically, people who
don’t use the app abstain because they
think it is simply for “one-night stand”-
style hookups. Which it, of course, is.
Unfortunately, I’ve met several people
who cite “not wanting to be a third” as
their main reason for avoiding Tinder. I’ve
also had some queer friends express their
frustration at constantly finding people in
heteronormative relationships come up in

their feed despite their preference settings.

However, approached without
expectations and with clear personal
boundaries, Tinder can establish a
variety of different relationships. The app
simply needs to respond to user input
and adapt their algorithms to better
suit all those varieties. In the same way
that there is a preference setting for
“male,” “female,” and “male and female,”
the app should offer a similar setting
for interested “singles” and “couples.”
Hopefully with those type of changes,
the quality of those 1.5 million weekly
dates accredited to the app will increase.

life & style // no. 17

The 1Phone X:
Nothing New

> Apple’s latest smart phone is a slightly
uglier upgrade of all the other iPhones

Greg Waldock
Staff Writer

 

he new iPhone X is out! Apple has

officially entered the “randomly ignore
numbers” game by skipping from the
iPhone 8 straight to the Roman numeral
for 10, putting them in fierce competition
with Microsoft and their X-Box One. The
new iPhone has few surprises—save one,
the immediately noticeable black bar at
the top of the screen holding the speaker
and front-facing camera. Not at the top
of the phone, by the way. It is actually at
the direct top of the screen itself, cutting a
notch out of it. It looks horribly obtrusive,
and I feel bad for any app developer that
needs to build around it. Everything from
web browsing to video-watching just
got a lot more awkward and terrible.

But aside from that fairly major
problem, it looks on the outside almost
like any iPhone. Rounded edges, sleek
black finish, and the tragic lack of a
headphone jack. It does finally have a
wall-to-wall screen with no buttons on the
front, and a new sharper screen to display
said lack of buttons. The insides are
nothing shocking: iOS u as an operating

system, some neat facial recognition
software, a very decent camera on both
sides. It does support wireless charging,
which is always cool, and has either 64
or 256gb of storage with a rumoured
extended battery life. By and large, this
is an all-around improvement... almost.
The first major problem is the price,
starting at a full thousand dollars in
the US. This is simply not an affordable
phone. Given how recent the iPhone 8
release was, this price is a touch surprising,
though iPhones have never been geared
towards the cheaper side. The second
major problem is the black bar at the
top. As I mentioned it’s enormously
distracting, weird, and uniquely ugly. I
can’t name a single smart phone that has
ever covered a chunk of their screen like
that, at least not successfully. It’s a bizarre
choice that’s sure to turn people off.
Aside from those major issues, this
is an iPhone. If you want an iPhone
better in specs than your current one,
you'll probably pick this up eventually,
unless that black bar is a deal-breaker
for you. If you currently have an
Android phone, this won't tempt you
to the dark side. It’s a very functional
entry to the historic iPhone brand.

¢; i :
5. leanne_denise_ campbell

VAY

11 likes

 

 

WN

leanne_denise_campbell Morning vocal and piano
practice for test .., #blisstout #music

#douglascollege #love