“Personal Connections in the Digital Age” brought up many interesting interactions and influences of technology on modern day life. I especially liked the analysis of the New York Times cartoon “No one knows that you are a dog on the internet”. Although most people this age don’t have to risk being taken for a sucker on chat rooms- we’ve had too many internet safety classes to experience the allure- many religiously use Grindr and Tinder to flirt and find potential romantic partners, which can be just as dangerous, in the same way and in others.

Some people have taken use of these types of apps to the next level. This is a three part article about three people who use the app of their choice to use and manipulate victims for swag. http://www.vice.com/read/i-tried-to-blag-as-much-free-shit-as-i-could-using-tinder-322

From what I read, most people were able to score free takeout and sometimes alcohol. The most fascinating part, though, was when the man in the article mentioned above made a completely fake profile to get even more stuff. The utter selfishness displayed in these is an example of the impact-imprint perspective discussed in “Personal Connections”. Dating apps are selfish, the user has the power to incessantly pursue or utterly ignore anyone they notice. In the world of Tinder, the user is a god who can construct the world they wish to inhibit, what kind of people surround them and who they talk to. As users realize this, it becomes more plausible to manipulate other users for personal gain.

This is also the result of the impersonalization of these apps. In chapter three, there is analysis of the benefits of internet, phone, and face to face interaction. Words, for the most part, are cold, and you can’t see the anger or hurt on the face of the victims who are tricked into sending free pizzas to strangers. If they try to tell off the person who manipulated them, they will probably be unmatched quickly. It becomes easier to lack regret when there’s no requirement that you will feel the consequences, and even that reinforces the god like nature of the user of dating apps.