From traditional dating platforms for single farmers promising their match made in heaven to modern AI chatting apps that simulate your dream scenarios, the chase after romance is frequently tangled with financial transactions. In a lonely first-world society, such services might be salvation, even if they have a price tag.
Muddy Matches is a niche dating app tailored to connect singles from agricultural backgrounds and lovers of the countryside lifestyle. The platform offers free member perks, such as creating their profile, looking at other members’ profiles, and adding them to their favourites. Still, here’s the catch – meaningful interaction comes at a cost, £ 26 a month to be more precise, for the ability to send and receive messages. How else should these cowgirls and boys make connections if they can’t chat?
Adventuring beyond traditional relationships, emerging technologies such as Generative AI have allowed us to experience romance with carefully built algorithms that come in the shape of flawless humans. With varying success levels, these algorithms will mimic human speech. On Replika – a chatbot app – for £5.17 a month, your companion will gain long-term memory, making interactions feel increasingly human.
Love nowadays is a trade, and we are pawns in a marketplace. This starkly contrasts how ancient Greece portrayed romance as authentic and intensely human through myths and philosophical musings.
Yet, getting into a romantic relationship due to love is a pretty new concept – even in those ancient Greek times when Socrates declared that love was the greatest gift humankind received, people got married primarily for financial and social reasons, not admiration. Only in the 18th century were lovers encouraged to choose their spouses based on romantic love. So, no, far from going extinct, romance is being redefined. Look at us; we are so enchanted by romance that we text love bots to experience a little bit of ardour, even if it’s fictional.
Loneliness has become an epidemic as we enter the late stages of capitalism and rapidly evolving technology. According to Discovery ABA, over 60% of adults in the United States report feeling lonely, and this loneliness varies little by age or gender. We are all going through this, and it isn’t only about romantic love; we care about community and family.
If we find solace by paying to chat with a farmer or receiving compliments from an AI boyfriend, why judge? Money is there to benefit us, after all, so instead of viewing these services as financial exchanges, let’s look at them as investments. By paying for matchmaking, you will be investing in a family, while texting a robot is an act of self-care, even if you are indulging in a fantasy to soothe loneliness.
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By Gabriela B
Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar, Alford, Newsroom