Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Carrot Dating - "First Bribe For Date App" - How Tech Can't Solve Every Problem

So I read an interesting article in Venture Beat today by Rebecca Grant about an app called Carrot Dating. The premise is that nerdy guys who can't regularly score with attractive girls can bribe them by getting them to go on dates with them if they give them some sort of gift.

She goes in depth into how wrong this idea is so I won't repeat them but I just wanted to put some thoughts into this.

This is an example of how technology can't solve every problem in the world and that as technologists, we must recognize a limit to where tech can and cannot be in our life.

Aside from how messed up this is, I don't think it even solves these men's problem in the first place. Even if you could get them on a date with you by giving them a present, the women aren't there because they necessarily (or at all) like you but just want some material gift. Maybe it's good if you want a "short term" investment or a gold digger who just admires you for your money but I have a feeling that most people want to be loved for who they are, not how much money they make. Because in the end, if you were to run out of money, you would presumably run out of dates.

A real relationship should be based on mutual interest and being able to be your best self. In this, it's all about marketing and improving yourself as a man. Instead of thinking how much money guys should spend, they should instead think about how to make a woman attracted to them based on non-financial qualities.

My advice to these men is don't rely on a "solution" like this - the only real way to solve their dating situation is figure out how to make themselves attractive to the opposite sex. It's basically learning how to market yourself so that you can come across as confident, funny, or other traits that your target audience would find interesting. Honestly, getting a hobby would be a much better ROI than using this app.




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