Following a serious breakup, I went on eight dates using three different dating apps.

I learned that using dating apps can really knock you down.

I also realized there is a serious problem with dating apps— and it's the user's fault.

As a millennial dater, I've experienced it all.

I've been in a three-year committed relationship. I've casually dated. I've been ghosted. I've been benched, breadcrumbed, and a number of other viral dating terms.

I often daydream about what it must have been like to meet someone the old-fashioned way. To be whisked away by an attractive stranger at the bar instead of waiting for my phone to light up with a new match or a sloppy "u up" text. But it's dire out there and, in my opinion, it's only getting worse.

Is there hope? INSIDER / Ciara Appelbaum

I moved to New York City six months ago, recently graduated and recently dumped. I was a bit heart broken, but also excited to be single for the first time since my first semester of college.

After giving myself some time to heal, I decided I needed to "get back out there." Failing miserably at meeting someone in real life, I naturally downloaded all the dating apps. How else are you supposed to meet anyone these days? I downloaded three dating apps overall: Tinder, HER, and Bumble.

Although each app has essentially the same goal, they each have their own niche. Here's what happened on each app.

Tinder

My Tinder bio. INSIDER / Ciara Appelbaum

Although Tinder has a bad reputation for being primarily a hookup app, I know several people who met on the app and are in serious committed relationships. So I decided to give it a try.

The app is pretty straightforward. You swipe right on people you like and swipe left on people you don't. You can also 'Super Like' someone, which notifies the person you are 'super' into them. Your profile includes your photos, age, occupation, the university you went to, how far away you are, and a short bio. I went with something cheeky—this was Tinder, after all.

After a lot of swiping, I matched with some exciting prospects, and became nervous over the thought of meeting them IRL.

Thankfully, my first Tinder date went pretty well. It was with a stereotypical NYC investment banker. We grabbed cocktails at an upscale bar, and the awkward small-talk commenced. He asked me to give him my "elevator pitch," which made me cringe a little. Was I being interviewed?

Although I felt self-conscious, it wasn't a horrible first date. He walked me home and texted me a few days later, but I never responded. He was a nice guy, but there wasn't much chemistry.

Feeling confident after surviving my first app date, I decided to try another Tinder match. This guy was Danish, tall, and handsome. The pros end there. He seemed to mansplain everything to me, and I wasn't feeling it. When I told him I didn't want to go home with him, he ditched me and I called an Uber. I never heard from him again. My next few Tinder dates went similarly to the second, so clearly I needed something new.

I decided it was time for a change-up and downloaded HER.

My HER profile INSIDER / Ciara Appelbaum

A little down on Tinder — and men after the mansplainer incident — I downloaded HER, an award-winning app exclusively for women or femme representing individuals. As someone who identifies as bisexual, I was curious how HER would compare to an app like Tinder, which caters more to straight people.

To my surprise, HER differed a lot. Unlike Tinder, the app lets you list your sexual orientation, the gender you identify with, and your relationship status along with the usual information. There is also a community board where you can chat with other users without having to match first. While Tinder keeps the people who like you a secret (unless you use a 'Super Like'), HER notifies you every time someone likes your profile — something I didn't realize at first.

I enjoyed how open HER seemed to be compared to Tinder, and was ready to try it out.

My first date went well. We met up for ice cream and, after talking for a bit, she suggested we head to a nearby rooftop party. We headed over and I met some of her friends, which ended up being a little uncomfortable when I realized they had no idea I was her date.

Despite the initial awkwardness, my extroverted personality saved me and we were soon all talking and having a good time together. She texted me the next day, but I told her I couldn't meet up, and I never heard from her again.

My next dates on HER varied a lot. One date went exceptionally well, and we casually dated for two months until I got ghosted by her. Others were clear they only wanted something physical, and didn't actually care about me as a person.

Although Tinder and HER use different approaches, my experiences on them were overall pretty similar.

Next up was Bumble.

My Bumble profile. INSIDER / Ciara Appelbaum

Bumble has a lot of buzz because it requires girls to send the first message. In other words, a guy can't initiate contact when swiping with females. I am used to traditional gender roles being switched-up, so I doubted Bumble's rules of initiation would have much of an impact on my experience.

Skepticism aside, I immediately noticed Bumble profiles include less information than both Tinder and HER profiles. It only includes your occupation, university, and age, and you only see a bio after swiping through all their pictures. I preferred having more information, but I heard a lot of good things about Bumble so I shrugged it aside.

Swiping for dates, I immediately noticed that the people on Bumble tended to be a lot more attractive than on any of the other apps. I was blown away by it, quite frankly. Were they all real?

Apparently so.

My Bumble dates weren't catfishes, and I had a great time with both of my dates. I met one date at a bar which turned into dinner after, and another for a romantic stroll through Central Park. They were both nice and seemed to be really genuine. I never saw them again though. Despite having a good time, I realized I wasn't ready to date again yet.

The verdict

Will I end up forever alone? INSIDER / Ciara Appelbaum

After going on this dating spree, I realized that I could very easily end up forever alone. Casual dating is exhausting, even in a city like New York where you'd think the streets would be swarming with potential.

I personally preferred Bumble because the people seemed to be slightly more genuine (and attractive) than on the other apps, but that's just me. From using so many dating apps I realized a lot more than just which one I preferred though. I realized I wasn't in the right mental state to be dating and that there is a serious problem with all of the apps.

Dating apps can knock you down.

Going on so many dates made me realize that I hadn't totally healed from my past relationship. A lot of the people I met were great, but I often couldn't bring myself to see them again, no matter how much chemistry we had. Something kept me from moving on: I wasn't — and am still not — over my ex.

I decided to listen to my heart, and have since taken a dating hiatus. At this point, I need to learn to be alone with myself before diving into something new.

Although I initially thought being on dating apps would help me move on, it actually slowed down my healing process from my breakup. Getting ghosted on, being treated like a piece of meat, and worrying about other's options was exhausting, and knocked me down instead of building me back up.

It isn't about which app you're using, but how you're using it

I also realized a lot of the struggles I experienced from dating apps is because people, of all genders, don't communicate what they want.

If you only want a hookup but match with someone who wants a relationship, for example, the date probably isn't going to go well for either of you. So it's probably best to just bite the bullet and be up front about what you're looking for from the beginning in the nicest way possible. I regret not being upfront with my dates about that fact that I wasn't in the mental space for a relationship, because it wasn't fair to them to leave them hanging.

Despite an overall lack of communication on the users part, I found that Tinder, HER, and Bumble all have their own personalities. Tinder tends to cater more to hookups whereas Bumble and HER cater towards a slightly more relationship leaning crowd. For all the cringeworthy people out there, I found good people on the apps too. It just would be easier to find them if we were more upfront with what we are looking for in a match.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter which app you're on as long as you communicate what you want. If you aren't sure what you're looking for, that's OK too. But maybe you should put the apps down until you do know what you want to save yourself and someone else the trouble.

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