CHRONICLE 16-17 ISSUE 08
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10 The Chronicle January 24 - 30, 20<strong>17</strong> chronicle.durhamcollege.ca Campus<br />
True love is only<br />
a swipe away<br />
Chamberlain<br />
found<br />
soulmate<br />
on mobile<br />
app Tinder<br />
Sharena Clendening<br />
The Chronicle<br />
On a chilly day in March, Kimberly<br />
Chamberlain decided it was time<br />
to try out Tinder. Her first thoughts<br />
were optimistic.<br />
“I felt like a hookup site and<br />
that’s what it was meant for…but<br />
every guy that I met tried to make<br />
it seem like they wanted a relationship,<br />
then BOOM they wanted in<br />
my pants. It was awkward but also<br />
very entertaining,” says Kimberly.<br />
On average over 36 per cent of<br />
Canadians use online dating sites,<br />
according to Global News. Tinder,<br />
Plenty of Fish, eHarmony and<br />
Match are just a few of the dating<br />
sites out there for singles to mingle.<br />
Kimberly Chamberlain is part of<br />
the 36 per cent of Canadians who<br />
signed up for online dating.<br />
Andrea Braithwaite teaches at<br />
UOIT. Her research focuses on<br />
gender and pop culture.<br />
“Part of what online dating<br />
brings is another way to meet<br />
people, which can be beneficial,”<br />
says Braithwaite. “Not everyone<br />
enjoys or is able to go out to meet<br />
people — things like personal preferences,<br />
money, schedules, and mobility<br />
can all get in the way, and online<br />
dating offers another option.”<br />
But Braithwaite says online dating<br />
can also open up another avenue<br />
for harassment and abuse.<br />
This growing trend of online romance<br />
has increased six per cent<br />
per year in Canada since 2010, according<br />
to IBISWorld. One would<br />
assume it would be easy to start a<br />
conversation with a stranger you<br />
are interested in but according to<br />
Kimberly Chamberlain, it is still<br />
a struggle.<br />
“It was super awkward; a Tinder<br />
user told me I was pretty so I<br />
replied thank you. Then he asked<br />
if he could get into my pants. I<br />
laughed and said no but thank you,<br />
and then he told me I was super<br />
ugly,” Chamberlain says.<br />
After that encounter Chamberlain<br />
was asking herself why she<br />
downloaded the App.<br />
Boys will be boys, she was thinking<br />
to herself, wondering if she<br />
should give up finding someone<br />
or if she should continue using the<br />
App for a little bit. She decided<br />
to keep the App and then started<br />
Part of what online dating brings is<br />
another way to meet people.<br />
talking to this guy who gave her a<br />
huge list of questions before asking<br />
her out.<br />
“He asked me out on a date after<br />
five hours of messaging back and<br />
forth,” says Chamberlain.<br />
It took around two weeks before<br />
they went on their date. Then it all<br />
fell into place. Kimberly and her<br />
boyfriend Christopher have been<br />
together since March 10, 2015 and<br />
are now expecting a baby girl, due<br />
March 4, 20<strong>17</strong>.<br />
Trying to find true love is hard<br />
whether you choose the old-fashioned<br />
way or use online dating<br />
Apps. But Kimberly Chamberlain<br />
didn’t stop till she found what she<br />
was looking for.<br />
UOIT professor Braithwaite explains,<br />
“There are a bunch of options<br />
out there, and they all work in<br />
different ways, some are subscription<br />
services that require monthly<br />
payments in order to participate,<br />
some are simply Apps.”<br />
With many different opinions on<br />
online dating, would you consider<br />
the choice of possibly meeting<br />
someone you could fall in love with<br />
through a mobile App?
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