Nope, you’re not dreaming and it’s 5 months too late for an April Fools joke. Tinder — yes, the popular dating app — is actually launching its own original series. The dating app in entering the streaming world and its currently untitled “secret” series is set to debut next month and will centre on the end of the world.
According to Variety, the series will be a choose-your-own-adventure style show (think Netflix’s Bandersnatch) that is set during an “impending apocalypse.” Per the site:
The series is set against an impending apocalypse, one of the insiders noted, and asks the question “Who would you spend your last night alive with?” The show will upload directly to the Tinder app, and users will be able to swipe right or left (the service’s basic function of approving or denying a potential love match) and advance the plot as they see fit.
The next thing on your mind is probably, “what on earth is Tinder up to? Are they diversifying their business or something?” The answer is not quite. In fact, the main reason they’re producing this series is to collect user data. A source told Variety the following:
“Tinder intends to create an algorithm based on how its users make decisions within the series, and then match them with romantic interests based on those choices. A Tinder user’s particular view on how a group of characters should spend the eve of the apocalypse will lead them to others with similar takes, the thinking goes, and then, perhaps, to an awkward first date in real life.”
This feels ridiculous to be perfectly honest. The beauty of Tinder — in its current form — is that it shows you a bunch of people within your preferred radius and if you find someone attractive or interesting (based on their short bio), you swipe right. If said person feels the same way about you, they’ll swipe right too and that will unlock a chat bubble. That’s about it. Beyond that, you’ll still have to get to know each other regularly.
However, using your data from a choose-your-own-adventure series to try and find more suitable prospects, seems like a step too far. It feels over-engineered. Imagine not being able to see someone’s profile simply because while playing the series, you selected to eat Koko Krunch instead of Honey Stars.
Anyway, the series will roughly be about two hours in total and consists of six episodes, so it’s a pretty quick watch. It’s also meant to be watched vertically as opposed to horizontally, so don’t expect anything cinematic.
