What makes people fall and stay in love? Who the hell knows, but why not look at pictures of Hawaii and Helmut Lang boots while on the search, right?
Dreamcliq, which eerily mimics Pinterest, is the next “dating site” that works by nursing people’s addictions to social media. Encouraged to keep the words to a minimum and express one’s self through images only, Dreamcliq users are allowed four pictures under buckets like “Style + Design,” “Images I Love” and “Art and Books,” and then they asked to provide basic information such as a profile picture, age, astrological sign, location and what you fancy (boys, girls or a curious “secret” option).
When all is said and done, instead of a garbled “date me” elevator speech and flip-through album of your hottest looks, you and the world are gifted with a portfolio-like masterpiece of YOU (as told by Google Images.)
To sweeten the deal, Susan Miller — eccentric and lovable astrologer to the stars — is on hand to whisper in your ear about how your sign may not mesh well with Scorpios, so be on the lookout for long-term communication issues with that fellow over there who posted all those delicious photos of Tahiti. Noted, Susan, noted.
Maybe Dreamcliq can serve as a nifty psychological experiment! Do people who like black-and-white photos of Grace Kelly and comfy rooms with fluffy pillows really fall in love? Or is this, sadly, just another excuse for people to create more Pinterest-like pages to marvel at and secretly judge while alone in their apartments, which is fine, but it does cost you $2.50 to message someone, so you better eagle-eye those images.
At first swipe, it’s easy to roll your eyes at all these new-fangled ways in which marketers are trying to sell us love. We’ve all become so sloppy in our communication and flaky in our actions; people are no more than floating heads on mile radiuses, easily disposed and recycled for the next, but are we, ironically, moving back full-circle to more old-school romance?
After all, scanning the virtual bar that is Tinder and hoping for electronic eye contact and a “Hello” or flipping through photos of fondue and, what the hell, shooting off a message, is actually more serendipitous, traditional and based on chance and happenstance than some of the more earnest test-based dating sites like OkCupid, Chemistry or eHarmony that all but promise a soulmate.
On these sites, one may never even lock eyes with their soul mate if said soul mate didn’t fill out their questionnaire in a timely manner or answer their questions correctly enough for one of the behind-the-scenes love scientists to deem you compatible. And who wants someone else making their dating decisions?
What are your thoughts? Do you prefer searching for dates on sites like Tinder or by getting a second or third opinion by the dating experts on eHarmony or OkCupid?
Melissa Noble is a contributing journalist for TheBlot Magazine.
