The Secret Algorithms That Control Your Love Life

Land of the Giants

Vox Media Podcast Network

Technology, Society & Culture, Business

4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 25 January 2023

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Dating app execs don’t like to explain how their matchmaking algorithms work– they’ll claim it’s too hard to explain, or that they just can’t talk about it, Fight Club style. But critics say that if daters really knew how basic the algorithms are, they might not put so much blind faith into them. In this episode, we dive into just how these algorithms work and speak with daters trying to hack the code that controls their love lives. Hosted by Sangeeta Singh Kurtz (@sangeetaskurtz) and Lakshmi Rengarajan (@Shmi_So_Far) Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear next week's episode by hitting the plus sign in your favorite podcast app Follow @TheCut and @verge on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	So, Sanjita, I did something for the podcast.
0:08.6	Tell me about it.
0:09.6	I started swiping again, but not on a real dating app.
0:13.6	This was a simulated dating game, Monster Match.
0:17.0	I thought it might help me understand how real dating apps work.
0:20.3	Yeah, I don't think I've ever had a soundtrack to my swiping session.
0:26.2	I guess that's because we're going to deliver some unpleasant news
0:29.7	and they need me to have music.
0:35.0	Monster Match works like a bizarro dating app.
0:38.0	You create a profile.
0:39.7	I get to choose my body.
0:43.2	Wouldn't that be an interesting option to have in life?
0:46.0	I'm going to pick kind of like a snake-like body.
0:49.2	It's kind of interesting to think about reptiles, mating and dating.
0:54.8	I ended up with an Iron Man robot mask,
0:58.2	big hair with highlights and a necklace.
1:01.6	Very hot.
1:02.7	Then I got to choose a background.
1:04.4	I picked a city.
1:06.2	Then it was time to start swiping.
1:08.1	First, I saw the profile of Count Daniel.
1:11.6	For work, he has a startup that makes farm to table 100% vegan blood for vampires.
	...

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