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Bumble gives women more control … but does that make a difference?

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In the game of Bumble, women have the first move.
Photo: Ian Racoma

For all the technology that’s been invented in the past five years, the online dating landscape hasn’t changed much. Ever since Tinder took horny singles by storm in 2012, “swipe left, swipe right” has become the dating model du jour.

In 2014, some folks decided that getting bombarded with vulgar messages and unwanted dick pics wasn’t fun for women—thus Bumble was born. The app is just like Tinder, except that it requires the woman to make the first move. It sounds great in theory (or maybe guys could stop being a-holes?), but Bumble comes with its own swarm of problems.

Right off the bat, Bumble’s most glaring issue is that it’s really only different if you’re straight. For gay men and women, it’s the same thing as Tinder, with a slightly more confusing interface and fewer gay users. Another buzzkill? Bumble gives straight women a 24-hour time limit to send the first message before their “match” disappears, unless users fork up some cash. There’s enough pressure with online dating as is—no one wants to race against a ticking time bomb.

There is one significant perk, though. Bumble-rs seem to have their sh*t together way more than their primordial swiping brethren, and they might be more focused on finding an actual partner (if you’re into that kind of thing). Does Bumble replace Tinder altogether? Not really. But when it comes to dating, having more options is never a bad thing.

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Leslie Ventura

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