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I have a somewhat unrealistic dream that someday dating apps will be viewed the same way as roads: Essential infrastructure that needs to be handled by the publ

I have a somewhat unrealistic dream that someday dating apps will be viewed the same way as roads: Essential infrastructure that needs to be handled by the public. A government developed dating app whose only goal is to help people find healthy relationships. All my american friends balk at this. But as a swede, I dont think it is completely impossible. The completely impossible dream would be that we as a society stopped using dating apps and just met away from the keyboard instead.

quickslowdown 3y ago
I think it's less insane to trust the Swedish government to implement something like this responsibily than the US government. As a US citizen, absolutely no thank you to a government dating app, it's too ripe with temptation for them to be overreaching and irresponsible with the data they collect.
- dylan604 3y ago
  Where's the conspiracy theories that it would be pairing families and connections more than personalities?
  - runamuck 3y ago
    See my comment above.
- dotcoma 3y ago
  I own NSAdates.com — any takers? ;)
  - suoduandao3 3y ago
    no such agency or no strings attached? ;)
    - dotcoma 3y ago
      Good one(s)!
  - qup 3y ago
    This is the ultimate business. You don't have to even host profiles, these guys can "background check" each other. It'll just be a just of names. Err...aliases.
maxsilver 3y ago
> All my american friends balk at this. But as a swede, I dont think it is completely impossible. (as an American, balking at this): The American government is too irresponsible and corrupt to ever handle something like this -- it would get abused so quickly, and thus, no regular person would trust it. Having a single dating app/profile as a free public service is a good idea in theory, but the pre-requisite of having a "functioning, selfless, responsible government, invested only in the public good" is just not a thing we're gonna get here.
- alistairSH 3y ago
  And yet the government mostly does what we ask of it. USPS gets mail to the most remote locations for the price of a stamp. State and the military both protect our interests overseas (for better or worse). Healthcare.gov works pretty well (after that rocky rollout). It's far from perfect, but I don't feel like it's any more dysfunctional than any other western democracy.
  - mattmaroon 3y ago
    It’s less dysfunctional than most organizations 1/10th its size.
    - red-iron-pine 3y ago
      having worked at, or consulted at, several F500 orgs... I believe it. most could be politely described as "basket cases" or "cluster hugs" (hugs being the operative word). but they had so much inertia and so many assets that were effective on ground they couldn't be stopped. anything outside of core business drivers were a mess, but they could still make in rain in their core competencies. the level of corruption was also shocking. CTOs packing the PMO and Procurement teams to approve contracts, including 400k consulting fees to a company, only a few months old, and owned 100% by the CTOs wife. Sales Engineers offering "acquisition fees" for going with their SaaS offering. People fighting to get to be the gatekeepers for new RFPs so they could milk the baksheesh.
adrianN 3y ago
China might implement something like this. The opportunities for subtle eugenics with such an app…
runamuck 3y ago
The Government could also match people based on a political agenda. I don't know why they would do that, but the idea fascinates me. Any creative types want to spin this into a "Black Mirror" script?
- Yizahi 3y ago
  Match the similar view or opposite views? :)
  - runamuck 3y ago
    Good point. So, if the "Team Edward" party wants to dilute the "Team Jacob" party, they could match "Team Jacob" with attractive "Team Edward" companions who will raise their kids "Team Edward."
- commandlinefan 3y ago
  And every pretty girl _somehow_ ends up matching with an employee of governmentdatingservice.com.
essenddotnet 3y ago
Given their precipitous fall in TFR, certain Japanese prefectures have actually started taking this approach, most notably Tokyo [1]. I don't think your dream is _all that_ unrealistic [1] https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/tokyo-government-to-release-official-dating-app https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/tokyo-gov...
wouldbecouldbe 3y ago
Haha this sounds like the plot for a dystopian futuristic government where based on data they automatically select the right mate for you. But joking aside. Not everything should be solved by the government, dating is supposed to be messy, unpredictable and a bit dangerous. We are humans not machines.
tivert 3y ago
> I have a somewhat unrealistic dream that someday dating apps will be viewed the same way as roads: Essential infrastructure that needs to be handled by the public. Honestly, if the government gets involved, I hope it just kills the whole category with fire and bans them all, so we can stop with this atomized, app-mediated bullshit. Match Group's shareholders will be very sad, and I will be happy to play them a tune on the world's smallest violin. But capitalism doesn't optimize for good outcomes, it optimizes for the shittiest thing that can be monetized that people will just barely tolerate. It also will use the power of propaganda to drown out and destroy any non-market competitors, so we feel we have to use that shitty thing.
sevagh 3y ago
Government arranged marriages.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
carlosjobim 3y ago
> A government developed dating app And there it is! I think I have never ever seen an article posted on HN without somebody in the comment advocating for a government takeover. Even for dating apps now! If you examine official policy of the Soviet Union, not even Lenin was _that_ communist. Tomorrow's article on HN: "How to make my three year old eat his vegetables?" In the comments: "The government should mandate that he eats his vegetables!"
- quickslowdown 3y ago
  Calm down there, friendo, nobody's saying the government should take over dating. What everyone here is talking about is an alternative to the current match.com-owned, for-profit state of affairs. A public option without a profit motive. It doesn't hurt to have that alongside competition, for those who would want to use it. I personally would not use a service like that, but some governments could be sane enough to implement it as a service to the public.
randomdata 3y ago
The government here maintains a job database, which is basically the same thing. In practice, people still go to the for-profit job sites. Unless other dating apps are outlawed, it's unlikely the government brings a value proposition to see users use it over the alternatives. > whose only goal is to help people find healthy relationships. Especially if this is what is designed around. I expect you will find that most people using dating apps aren't looking for healthy relationships – they could have found hundreds of those just walking down the street – but are trying to find something else.
sumuyuda 3y ago
There are other options to private capitalism than the government. Could be a non-profit/NGO/worker owned collective. Maybe these types on organizations could provide a better product/experience, as they aren’t orientated around maximizing the profit.
- aidenn0 3y ago
  I've seriously considered starting a non-profit that runs a site that works like one of the pre- match.com acquisition dating sites. I suspect 99% of costs will be combating spam profiles, which really isn't how I want to spend my time though.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
almatabata 3y ago
Before we go this route I would like to see what real competition looks like. They should break up the Match group and force those dating apps to actually really compete for users. I would love to know if new apps would maintain these tactics if they remain outside the Match group.
komadori 3y ago
Singapore has something akin to a state-run dating agency since 1984: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Development_Network https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Development_Network

quickslowdown 3y ago

I think it's less insane to trust the Swedish government to implement something like this responsibily than the US government. As a US citizen, absolutely no thank you to a government dating app, it's too ripe with temptation for them to be overreaching and irresponsible with the data they collect.

dylan604 3y ago
Where's the conspiracy theories that it would be pairing families and connections more than personalities?
- runamuck 3y ago
  See my comment above.
dotcoma 3y ago
I own NSAdates.com — any takers? ;)
- suoduandao3 3y ago
  no such agency or no strings attached? ;)
  - dotcoma 3y ago
    Good one(s)!
- qup 3y ago
  This is the ultimate business. You don't have to even host profiles, these guys can "background check" each other. It'll just be a just of names. Err...aliases.

maxsilver 3y ago

> All my american friends balk at this. But as a swede, I dont think it is completely impossible. (as an American, balking at this): The American government is too irresponsible and corrupt to ever handle something like this -- it would get abused so quickly, and thus, no regular person would trust it. Having a single dating app/profile as a free public service is a good idea in theory, but the pre-requisite of having a "functioning, selfless, responsible government, invested only in the public good" is just not a thing we're gonna get here.

alistairSH 3y ago
And yet the government mostly does what we ask of it. USPS gets mail to the most remote locations for the price of a stamp. State and the military both protect our interests overseas (for better or worse). Healthcare.gov works pretty well (after that rocky rollout). It's far from perfect, but I don't feel like it's any more dysfunctional than any other western democracy.
- mattmaroon 3y ago
  It’s less dysfunctional than most organizations 1/10th its size.
  - red-iron-pine 3y ago
    having worked at, or consulted at, several F500 orgs... I believe it. most could be politely described as "basket cases" or "cluster hugs" (hugs being the operative word). but they had so much inertia and so many assets that were effective on ground they couldn't be stopped. anything outside of core business drivers were a mess, but they could still make in rain in their core competencies. the level of corruption was also shocking. CTOs packing the PMO and Procurement teams to approve contracts, including 400k consulting fees to a company, only a few months old, and owned 100% by the CTOs wife. Sales Engineers offering "acquisition fees" for going with their SaaS offering. People fighting to get to be the gatekeepers for new RFPs so they could milk the baksheesh.

adrianN 3y ago

China might implement something like this. The opportunities for subtle eugenics with such an app…

runamuck 3y ago

The Government could also match people based on a political agenda. I don't know why they would do that, but the idea fascinates me. Any creative types want to spin this into a "Black Mirror" script?

Yizahi 3y ago
Match the similar view or opposite views? :)
- runamuck 3y ago
  Good point. So, if the "Team Edward" party wants to dilute the "Team Jacob" party, they could match "Team Jacob" with attractive "Team Edward" companions who will raise their kids "Team Edward."
commandlinefan 3y ago
And every pretty girl _somehow_ ends up matching with an employee of governmentdatingservice.com.

essenddotnet 3y ago

Given their precipitous fall in TFR, certain Japanese prefectures have actually started taking this approach, most notably Tokyo [1]. I don't think your dream is _all that_ unrealistic [1] https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/tokyo-government-to-release-official-dating-app https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/tokyo-gov...

wouldbecouldbe 3y ago

Haha this sounds like the plot for a dystopian futuristic government where based on data they automatically select the right mate for you. But joking aside. Not everything should be solved by the government, dating is supposed to be messy, unpredictable and a bit dangerous. We are humans not machines.

tivert 3y ago

> I have a somewhat unrealistic dream that someday dating apps will be viewed the same way as roads: Essential infrastructure that needs to be handled by the public. Honestly, if the government gets involved, I hope it just kills the whole category with fire and bans them all, so we can stop with this atomized, app-mediated bullshit. Match Group's shareholders will be very sad, and I will be happy to play them a tune on the world's smallest violin. But capitalism doesn't optimize for good outcomes, it optimizes for the shittiest thing that can be monetized that people will just barely tolerate. It also will use the power of propaganda to drown out and destroy any non-market competitors, so we feel we have to use that shitty thing.

sevagh 3y ago

Government arranged marriages.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

carlosjobim 3y ago

> A government developed dating app And there it is! I think I have never ever seen an article posted on HN without somebody in the comment advocating for a government takeover. Even for dating apps now! If you examine official policy of the Soviet Union, not even Lenin was _that_ communist. Tomorrow's article on HN: "How to make my three year old eat his vegetables?" In the comments: "The government should mandate that he eats his vegetables!"

quickslowdown 3y ago
Calm down there, friendo, nobody's saying the government should take over dating. What everyone here is talking about is an alternative to the current match.com-owned, for-profit state of affairs. A public option without a profit motive. It doesn't hurt to have that alongside competition, for those who would want to use it. I personally would not use a service like that, but some governments could be sane enough to implement it as a service to the public.

randomdata 3y ago

The government here maintains a job database, which is basically the same thing. In practice, people still go to the for-profit job sites. Unless other dating apps are outlawed, it's unlikely the government brings a value proposition to see users use it over the alternatives. > whose only goal is to help people find healthy relationships. Especially if this is what is designed around. I expect you will find that most people using dating apps aren't looking for healthy relationships – they could have found hundreds of those just walking down the street – but are trying to find something else.

sumuyuda 3y ago

There are other options to private capitalism than the government. Could be a non-profit/NGO/worker owned collective. Maybe these types on organizations could provide a better product/experience, as they aren’t orientated around maximizing the profit.

aidenn0 3y ago
I've seriously considered starting a non-profit that runs a site that works like one of the pre- match.com acquisition dating sites. I suspect 99% of costs will be combating spam profiles, which really isn't how I want to spend my time though.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

almatabata 3y ago

Before we go this route I would like to see what real competition looks like. They should break up the Match group and force those dating apps to actually really compete for users. I would love to know if new apps would maintain these tactics if they remain outside the Match group.

komadori 3y ago

Singapore has something akin to a state-run dating agency since 1984: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Development_Network https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Development_Network