Two weeks ago, no one knew about Friendsy. Friendsy is so new (props to Colgate for being so ahead of the trends), that the first two searches that pop up when one Googles “how to use friendsy” are “how to use friendly in a sentence” and “how to use frenzy in a sentence.” Yet however new this app may be, it’s taking over the social scene. Friendsy is the combination of all the things we love – Tinder, Twitter and Yik Yak – and it has become yet another one of the reasons why we can’t put down our phones.  

The rules of Friendsy are as follows: the account is set up with your college email, this way you only “network” with those within your community. You then can go through people’s profiles at random, or filter by gender, year, department or affiliation. Upon seeing a person’s profile, you can choose one of three options: hook up, date or friend (what would this app be without the option to blatantly friend zone?). From there, you can opt to give said person hints or, as many chose to do, remain anonymous and keep up that air of mystery. The only way your identity is revealed is if it’s mutual; that is, the person hits hook up, date or friend, right back at you. 

Back to the basics: the point of Friendsy is, as stated on it’s website, “to foster friendships and romance.” Instead of matching with random people as on Tinder, you are matching with the people within your own network, the Colgate network, the people you see day in and day out.  

Friendsy in action goes something like this. Odds are, you get it out of curiosity, or just because of peer pressure, because “everyone else is doing it,” right? It’s fun for a bit, until you realize that these people are the people you go to school with. And by school, I mean our small liberal arts college where even though you don’t know everyone you see, you can bet that you will see everyone you know. 

If you get the “It’s mutual!” notification you may have the anxiety-inducing thought that someone you might not know despite being on the same campus (supposedly) wants to hook up/date/be your friend. Will you meet them, is the real question. And if you do, will it be awkward? What does one expect from a Friendsy hook up? Or, should we simply lose our expectations regarding such a casual setup? 

I suppose what I’m really trying to ask is, does Friendsy actually work? It takes away the awkwardness of getting to know the person, and boils it right down to what you foresee your relationship with them being. 

While this may seem convenient, doesn’t it take away any sort of connection or intimacy of a relationship? Is the use of Friendsy perpetuated by narcissism, loneliness or just a desire for fun? It without a doubt adds to the hook up culture that exists on college campuses, but are we losing touch with reality by putting everything online and basing all attraction on looks – or worse, edited pictures? 

At a certain point, one has to wonder how long this trend will last. We’ve all grown up with some form of Friendsy, from Hot or Not to Tinder to looking people up on Facebook to determine whether or not that cute kid in your class is actually cute (and, more importantly, if your friends approve). At the root of all these inclinations is judgement. Not just judging someone for their thoughts, self-presentation and who they really are, but rather their face value. Is Friendsy taking it too far? Regardless, just how far will Friendsy go? Only time will tell.