Rec | ON READING: HOW GOOGLE FORMS BECAME THE HOTTEST NEW DATIN...

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on reading: How Google Forms became the hottest new dating app

Fatigued by traditional dating platforms, people are using Google Forms to advertise themselves, allowing for a more direct approach and potentially a wider audience.
This is so jarring yet fascinating to see. I even think these people would have more success because of how personalized their experience seems. Though it's sad that we've reached the point of having to create this experiences ourselves because the world is no longer suitable to spontaneously meet people :(

@mariamaria

Sep 15, 2024

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@imkhushi

I saw a TikTok that talked about how finding people on dating apps is so disingenuous because you pick people not based on their actually attachment compatibility to you but their ability to advertise themselves to you, which is a skill set that not everyone has and also is not indicative of who they are in a relationship. And I was like wait yeah bc what if I swipe left on someone who I would love to be in a relationship with because we have different photography styles? Or vice versa. imo it speaks to the internalizing of our social media constructed panopticon and I worry that we limit our perceptions of not only others but ourselves:( and then we forget how much we exist beyond our own branding. all that is to say, I deleted hinge last week lol.

Sep 15, 2024

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What does it mean to code an intimate connection?

2020 article analyzing the UX, ethics, and psychology of The Apps™️. Sharlene Gandhi of AOGA Eye on Design meditates upon the troubling amount of data these apps collect on us and how said data is being used, unconscious biases and algorithmic designs that influence how we use The Apps ™️, and the rise of the "Responsible Dating App." The idea that jumped out to me in this article was the music based data app. The app matches you based on your Spotify and Apple Music listening history because, as the founder of the app Mohil Sheth states, there's a problem with people lying on their profiles but it's hard to fake music data because "you wouldn't listen to songs you don't like." This article made me wonder if the best thing to do is to get off The Apps ™️ all together--I've personally only used Bumble for about 5 hours and then swiftly deleted it--because of the facade of interaction they provide. they make you THINK that you meeting all these people and having all these great conversations and improving your dating life when in reality you aren't putting yourself out there and developing social skills. but at the same time, I understand why people use them; rejection is easier to take from behind a screen, you have the perception of more opportunity for connection, and you can highly curate your appearance. It also made me wonder if it's even possible to have a "Responsible Dating App"...to me the term feels contradictory.

@veggiedumpling

Mar 3, 2024

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Dating apps are not the centre

In fact they’re working against you, especially women of colour. 84% of Tinder users are men, Bumble’s earnings have gone down hugely since its IPO (thereby further increasing their need to make a profit off subscriptions), Hinge is hiding hot people behind a paywall. People are sick of getting lovebombed and ghosted.
But we don’t need them—there’s more to life than apps—and people are beginning to seek connections in person again.

@fanbeth

Jan 3, 2025

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leave the dating apps behind

Like someone else said, one of the best, most freeing things is to leave the dating apps behind especially if you struggle with self esteem. I know people who have found amazing relationships from dating apps, but as a whole I believe they have done a great job at commoditizing romance and making interactions transactional; they want you to pay more money to keep swiping until your thumbs hurt. Combine that with the fact that all the major dating apps are owned by either Match Group or Bumble, data privacy concerns, and you now have an industry that treats dating like a mobile gacha game. Dating felt fun and natural for me the minute I left the apps behind. This is just my 2 cents, so take it with a grain of salt. Maybe they work for you, if so, more power to you!