Recently, as part of my study of empires in Humanities Core at the University of California, Irvine, I was assigned to watch the semi-biographical 2015 film, The Revenant. In this film, the main character, Hugh Glass, tells his half-European, half-Pawnee son, “They don’t hear your voice! They just see the color of your face.” Despite the fact that Glass says this in the film because the other trappers have preconceived notions about his son based on their own Eurocentric, racist tendencies, the broader meaning behind this quote emphasizes how greatly one’s perspective of another person can be influenced simply by someone’s physical appearance. This is a theme often seen in the world of online dating as well, where many decisions regarding one’s own love life are determined by whether or not they deem the other person to be “attractive enough” based solely on their profile.
Nearly 40 million young adults in America claim to use some form of online dating sites. This statistic has increased dramatically in recent years, nearly tripling from 2013 to 2015, as evident in this graph from the Pew Research Center, and likely will continue to grow as technology further improves and plays a larger role in everyday life.
However, while this online dating world of communication does in fact provide a platform where those constricted by busy schedules, social anxiety, or other barriers, can potentially find someone whom they likely would not have met in person and form a relationship, mobile dating apps and websites have also created a culture where people are quick to judge others based on physical appearance and where face-to-face communication is rare.
A perfect example of such judgement based primarily on looks can be seen through the format of perhaps one of the most well-known dating apps, Tinder. According to the popular dating platform’s help page, the purpose of the site is to “Swipe. Match. Chat. Date. Tindering is easy and fun—Swipe Right to Like someone, Swipe Left to pass. If someone likes you back, It’s a Match!” Clearly, the site advertises itself as being a way people can quickly decide whether or not they like someone based on just a few things posted on their profile page. However, when taking a closer look at what exactly a Tinder profile consists of, problems arise. When viewing a profile on the dating app, the information that one can see about the other person consists of their name, age, distance, and a set of up to six pictures.
Furthermore, not only is this a very meager amount of information to base one’s feelings about another human being on, but a recent update has made it even harder for users to access someone’s bio. Thus, through requiring Tinder users to click on another “information” button to simply gain basic information about another person yet displaying pictures very clearly, the site has further emphasized using solely appearance as solid grounds on which one can decide who they like and want to pursue a relationship with. Unfortunately, many of the other top dating websites and apps on the market such as Bumble use similar tactics as well. However, in my opinion, the sad truth is that the more we rely on websites and algorithms to find us our “perfect match” the worse we will become at communicating in person with one another and the more likely we will be to “judge a book by its cover” when it comes to real relationships and connections.
Moreover, the effects of more and more young adults switching over to the online dating world rather than more traditional methods is harmful to one’s physical and mental well-being. In fact, according to the article “Face-to-Face Social Contact Reduces Risk of Depression” by Christopher Bergland, interpersonal communication with those whom you share a strong bond with is very necessary for the health of humankind. Furthermore, the article writes that studies show “… all forms of socialization aren’t equal. Phone calls and digital communication, with friends or family members, do not have the same power as face-to-face social interactions in helping to stave off depression.” Therefore, the most common form of communication which results from the rising popularity of online dating platforms, online communication through text, email, or phone calls, is not as beneficial to one’s mental health as are face-to-face connections.
Therefore, if dating apps and websites have the potential to cause so much damage, why do they continue to be created and grow in popularity? Well, the sad reality is that this mindset of the ends justifying the means is not uncommon in empires, both past and present. For instance, empires in the past were often imperialistic and focused on expansion at any cost. Just one of numerous examples is the many gruesome battles between European colonizers and Native Americans throughout the 1800’s in which many Native Americans were murdered and tortured all in the name of “civilization” and “expansion.” Similarly the online empire is potentially harming people’s mental health and interpersonal communication skills yet maintains the mindset that gaining popularity and power in the online world justifies the detrimental effects of online dating platforms on humankind’s personal well-being. Thus demonstrating that the online world is essentially an empire in and of itself and has much in common with the empires of ancient times as well.
Work Cited
Iñárritu, Alejandro González, director. The Revenant. Fox Movies., 2015.
Empire and Social Interaction 
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