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from the all-I-got-was-this-stupid-T-shirt dept.
Caitlin Dewey writes in the Washington Post that she's been using a new service called "Invisible Boyfriend" and that she's fallen in love with it. When you sign up for the service, you design a boyfriend (or girlfriend) to your specifications. "You pick his name, his age, his interests and personality traits. You tell the app if you prefer blonds or brunettes, tall guys or short, guys who like theater or guys who watch sports. Then you swipe your credit card — $25 per month, cha-ching! — and the imaginary man of your dreams starts texting you." Invisible boyfriend is actually boyfriends, plural: The service’s texting operation is powered by CrowdSource, a St. Louis-based tech company that manages 200,000 remote, microtask-focused workers. "When I send a text to the Ryan number saved in my phone, the message routes through Invisible Boyfriend, where it’s anonymized and assigned to some Amazon Turk or Fivrr freelancer. He (or she) gets a couple of cents to respond. He never sees my name or number, and he can’t really have anything like an actual conversation with me." Dewey says that the point of Invisible Boyfriend is to deceive the user’s meddling friends and relatives. "I was newly divorced and got tired of everyone asking if I was dating or seeing someone," says co-founder Matthew Homann. "There seems to be this romance culture in our country where people are looked down upon if they aren't in a relationship."
Evidence suggests that people can be conned into loving just about anything. There is no shortage of stories about couples carrying on “relationships” exclusively via Second Life , the game critic Kate Gray recently published an ode to “Dorian,” a character she fell in love with in a video game, and one anthropologist argues that our relationships are increasingly so mediated by tech that they’ve become indistinguishable from Tamagotchis. “The Internet is a disinhibiting medium, where people’s emotional guard is down,” says Mark Griffiths. “It’s the same phenomenon as the stranger on the train, where you find yourself telling your life story to someone you don’t know.” It’s not exactly the stuff of fairytales, concludes Dewey. "But given enough time and texts—a full 100 are included in my monthly package—I’m pretty sure I could fall for him. I mean, er … them."
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Tuesday January 27 2015, @10:36PM
For the idea that some people have more money than sense.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by frojack on Tuesday January 27 2015, @10:46PM
For the idea that some people have more money than sense.
I assure you a REAL boyfriend or girlfriend costs much more than $25/month.
This won't eat everything in your fridge, leave the sink full of dishes, snoop through your phone, and revenge porn you when you find out they were 1) married, and 2) dating your (now ex) best friend on the side.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Tuesday January 27 2015, @11:42PM
I don't mind having a relationship with a real human being with whom I can converse, argue, let them eat my food, wash or not wash my dishes, be romantic and have sexual relations.
It's lots of fun. I highly recommend it. Regardless of the cost.
Seeing as I am not a lying sack of shit and don't exploit others solely for my benefit, I don't have issues like that. I also am a pretty good judge of people, which has served me well over the years. Bad eggs don't get very far with me.
Paying $25/month to lie to yourself and those around you is the height of narcissism and self-absorption, IMHO. I don't have time for crap like that. I like who I am and those I choose to have around me do too.
If you feel the need to embellish your life with lies to make yourself feel better or to appear a certain way to others, then I have pity for you.
At times it can be better to be unencumbered by a romantic relationship, but filling your life with lies to satisfy some personal or cultural issue is a waste. I prefer to live my life honestly and without reservation or subterfuge. You should try it sometime. It's quite satisfying.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 28 2015, @12:00AM
Randian relationship ooh bear man for the fail!
Funny how someone who claims to be so healthy and adjusted has zero empathy for people in different circumstances.
(Score: 2, Flamebait) by NotSanguine on Wednesday January 28 2015, @12:38AM
Funny how someone who claims to be so healthy and adjusted has zero empathy for people in different circumstances.
I have empathy. In fact, I said:
If you feel the need to embellish your life with lies to make yourself feel better or to appear a certain way to others, then I have pity for you.
I have pity for you too, since your reading comprehension seems to be poor. I'm sorry, friend.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 28 2015, @02:46AM
Only someone who is empathy impaired would believe that an insulting and self-aggrandizing "then I have pity for you" qualifies as empathy.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Wednesday January 28 2015, @04:22AM
filling your life with lies to satisfy some personal or cultural issue is a waste. I prefer to live my life honestly and without reservation or subterfuge. You should try it sometime. It's quite satisfying.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 28 2015, @06:03AM
> You should try it sometime. It's quite satisfying.
You seem hung up on that phrase. Almost like you are trying to convince yourself that your obviously rigid and sanctimonious approach to relationships is "satisfying."
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Wednesday January 28 2015, @06:43AM
Not really. But your trolling is rather boring. Work on it. You might get better over time. Toodles!
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by TheRaven on Wednesday January 28 2015, @04:47PM
I assure you a REAL boyfriend or girlfriend costs much more than $25/month.
That depends a lot on where and how you live. Here (UK) the rent for a place that's comfortable for two people is a lot less than double the rent for somewhere that's comfortable for one. The cost of food for two is less than double the cost of food for one. The same goes for the amount of washing up and so on.
sudo mod me up