Relationship Advice
Dating apps are dying, matchmaking is back, and AI boyfriends are fair game.
1. Love is fertile ground for tech.
AI has wiggled its way past productivity and into our very personal lives. Perhaps the reaction to a headlining loneliness crisis, some find the easiest friend to make, or relationship to keep, is the one you can program yourself. For some, that stretches as far as having an AI boyfriend, for others, a form of free therapy. After several isolated years, it is not entirely surprising that websites like Character.AI attract 3.5 million daily users who spend an average of two hours a day using chatbots. Less surprising is that the bulk of those users are teenagers, cheated of a “normal” youth and in search of companionship. “I’m not gonna lie, I might be a little addicted to it,” says one 17-year-old about this tech development. For those without close friends or loved ones to lean on, we see the appeal, and new companies like Friend see it too – offering an AI wearable that is “always listening” and responding via text. And while we’re weary of what tech is doing to interpersonal skills, there is a flip side to this: the IRL-ness of it all…
2. Old-school tactics resurge.
Gen Z is breaking up with the dating apps. Tired of swiping, they’re returning to the old way of doing things—in person. Yet, once the apps are deleted, striking up a face-to-face conversation is scary for this lot. IRL events, like chess clubs, singles nights, and run clubs, are adding a buffer to the process. Some are more organic, offering weekly meet-ups to play games and interact with new faces, while others are far more tactical, requiring tickets for entry or a PowerPoint pitch. TimeLeft hosts dinner parties for five perfect strangers, matched by a personality algorithm to foster connections, both friendly or flirty, similar to Matchbox, which hosts weekly events where all attendees fill out a questionnaire and are paired up with another guest. More nostalgic in concept, Date-Me-Docs, best described as a modern-day personal ads or Harry Hill’s Instagram post advertising reasons to date his single brother. Serena Kerrigan’s LFD now features a broadcast channel where singles connect and mingle, and Maxwell Social hosts a Met Through Friends social night, easing first-date anxiety as everyone there is a friend of a friend. And the numbers don’t lie. Eventbrite reports that attendance for in-person events geared towards the “Zillennial” crowd has increased by 49% this year compared to last year. As we’re known to quip, everything old is new again, and the quest to find love is no different.
How can you participate in the relationship?
3. Grooming habits come into play.
Increased personal interaction calls for more preening and attention to one’s appearance. This time, the boys are taking the lead. Our feeds are scattered with young TikTok-ers posting about the colognes they use to “attract mates.” They might just be on to something, as a new market of perfume oils meant to mesh with the body’s chemistry by way of pheromones is popping up. These formulations center on capturing a unique and alluring scent for the individual wearer. For a group obsessed with maxxing aura points, the market for boy beauty advances. A crop of teens are perming their locks, tightening their jawlines with gua sha tools and tricks, and, most importantly, making sure their scent game is strong. And the effect on the beauty business is hard to ignore - the fragrance market is growing faster than the beauty sector at large, and more teen boys are shelling out big bucks for specialized treatments. We smell a revolution.
4. An alternative, non-romantic relationships.
And for the singletons not interested in putting themselves out there in one way or another, staying solo doesn’t seem so bad. One writer describes this decision as going “boy sober,” or an intentional dating cleanse, which she’s decided to do for an entire year, focusing on self-improvement, taking time for the things and people she loves, and generally re-introducing herself to herself. Pop-culture princess Julia Fox gives clout to the celibacy movement, recently sharing that she’s been celibate for over two years. Again, finding a refreshed perspective on relationships through the exercise. Some women are opting to forego the traditional norms of marriage altogether, entering non-romantic same-sex marriages with best friends or living “mommune” style with other single mothers. The lifestyle is seen as mutually beneficial for both career and financial purposes. Platonic partnerships offer a solution to some of our woes but beget others, as evidenced by this article making the rounds last week. A side effect of the social-centric setup could be living longer, more productive lives, or at least that’s what science says.
