You can either swipe left or swipe right. Romantic connections have been boiled down to those two simple gestures over the last few years.

At least 25.1 million adults in the U.S. used a dating app monthly, according to a 2019 report from eMarketer.

Although apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge are the most accessible way of meeting others, they don’t guarantee success and sometimes make it frustrating to meet others.

“They didn’t work out for me because there are too many bots on some of those apps,” NW student Austin Molina said. “Also, if you’re not very active on social media, then you will have a hard time on dating apps.”

Bots can be annoying when trying to match with a person only to find that they’re a fake profile created to scam users.

For some students, personal preference keeps them from jumping onto the digital bandwagon.

“I like to meet people naturally,” TR student Kayela Denison said.

By naturally, she means meeting new people through friends or other students in her classes.

“I don’t feel safe creating an online dating persona,” NW student Tamara Rodriguez said.

For other students, the idea of using dating apps isn’t just unappealing but can also feel shameful.

“It makes you feel lazy, and it also makes you feel desperate,” NE student Javier Aguero said. “It’s like you’re only using it out of boredom.”

Aguero said everything is easy to receive now, and dating apps are no different.

“If you want to watch a movie, you can stream it,” Aguero said. “If you’re hungry, you can order through the Internet. Everything is just lazy nowadays, and that includes dating.”

Just because something is accessible does not mean it is the best way to do something, he said.

“If I want to talk to a girl, I do it face to face,” Aguero said.

According to South Student Deon Grayer, dating apps make it easier for people to hide who they really are.

“You don’t really get to talk to that person, and on top of that, they might not even be the same person in the photo,” Grayer said. “People are more bold behind a phone screen.”

NW student Melvin Daniel said dating apps feel like an avenue to hooking up for a few nights rather than the way to start building a serious relationship with someone.

“I don’t think dating apps are the way to go,” Daniel said. “I think dating apps are kind of pointless.”

Aguero believes once people become used to a more hook up-heavy lifestyle, it may be hard for some to start a committed relationship.

“Can you really invest your time in someone if you are used to that quick moment-to-moment culture?” Aguero asked.

Some students said that using dating apps have made connecting with someone much more casual and can lead to people dating more than one person at a time.

“The more people you are able to have access to, the more likely you are to experiment with different people,” O’Shea said.

Dating apps can be viewed as desperate attempts to meet potential partners, but TR student Patrick O’Shea said using these apps has improved his social skills.

“I have begun to notice key features about myself that people pick up on first. Such as the way I communicate, especially through text,” O’Shea said.

While not primarily used for friendships, O’Shea said his goal when using dating apps was to meet new people.

“When you move to a new place, the number one way to meet new people is through friends of friends, but when you don’t even have friends, it is very difficult,” O’Shea said.

O’Shea said he thinks Valentine’s Day has not changed too much with the rise of dating apps due to the traditional factors involved in the holiday’s creation.

“Valentine’s Day has always been a Hallmark holiday and always will be,” O’Shea said. “It was invented to sell cards and chocolates and flowers.”

Although dating apps have affected the way people meet, no one felt there was a correlation between the rise of apps and the fall of romance on Valentine’s Day.

Human interaction is more valuable than swiping left or right, but there is nothing wrong with finding love online.