The online dating app ‘Tinder’ is used as our modern day speed dating for singles. Users are shown a photo of a potential “match” and they either swipe left if they’re not interested or swipe right if they would like to get to know them more. The dating app mostly focuses on the looks of potential matches, rather than the personalities of these people.
In the episode “Hang the DJ,” however, the online dating program used to match people together goes far beyond just looks. This program taps into people’s inner thoughts and feelings, and thus predicts an “expiration date” for the relationship. The program eliminates the uncomfortable encounters of trying to meet someone on your own and/or ending a relationship.
The new dating technology runs multiple potential couples through many different scenarios to see if the end results are the same. If, by the end of the all the trial runs, the results are on the positive side the majority of the time, the program will notify both parties and give them their chances on being a match.
The purpose of the program and the new compatibility technology is made to test the emotions, thoughts, and impulses each mind has and finds another person that would think and act the same way, giving them the best opportunity to meet "The One."
The premise of this episode poses two different questions. The first is: will evolution in technology, especially in the dating area, move to the point where they make all of the decisions for us? Enabling our opportunities of trail and error in dating and meeting new people. The second is: through all of these tests and scenarios, does it actually lead us to "The One"? Does science and technology truly know what we want and what is best for us when it comes to the person we are supposed to be with? Or do we know what is best and should we trust in our own abilities?
This episode makes one think about how the future of dating. Maybe in the future, computers will do all the thinking for us and maybe choosing our soulmates is just the beginning of them taking over the human mind.
