A childhood friend wrote an article (hopefully the first of many) entitled "When did ghosting become the norm in dating?": after a promising second date at Rondeau Provincial Park, one woman reflects on being ghosted and questions whether ghosting has become the norm in modern online dating.
The issue it seems isn't the "modern" part OR the "dating" part, BUT the fact that "online" dating accounts for the majority of 18-29 year olds dating experience: "53% of people 18-29" use dating apps according to Forbes.
Of that, "53% of people who have ever used a dating site or app say their personal experiences have been very or somewhat positive—but 46% say they’ve been very or somewhat negative."
Enter The Lonely Hearts Club, "Love In Print" where their are "No Swipes. No Apps. Just Ink, and Letters."
From their About Us: "We began with a simple question: what if love letters never went away, they just needed a better editor?
From that thought (and a stubborn belief that print is still the most romantic medium), The Lonely Hearts Club was born. Equal parts literary experiment and romantic rebellion, we are a new independent newspaper bringing back the glory (and chaos) of personal ads."
In a world obsessed with futurism and blazing a trail forward so fast that we all lose a bit along the way, it's so very refreshing to hear that "The perfect match is a myth, but a good story? That’s forever."
40 words (maximum) for £35.00 with a one month life span. Handwritten and sealed letter begin to (hopefully) flow in on a weekly basis, all anonymous and coded for replies.
Remember, it's self proclaimed to be "best enjoyed with coffee and low expectations."
This (hopefully not so) isolated resurgence of how things once were rather than more of the same swipes, taps & algorithms harkens to vinyl: from Statistics Canada "In 2023, the most recent year for which data are available, sales in the record production and distribution industry rose by over one-fifth from two years earlier to $903.3 million."
Perhaps it's in the phrase "where analogue romance finds its rebel heart" I see the comparison.
Regardless, it's another rejection of compalcency or a return to form AND format. I found this "Club" on another: the Newspaper Club is where The Lonely Hearts Club sustainably prints on real newsprint.
Inspiring at the very least are both of these proclaimed "clubs" organized in their own regard to create a sense of community, belonging and to do so in print; lovingly or otherwise.
As dating apps, social media, etc. all bow further and further to their algorithmic core we should take refuge in knowing their are those who prefer to "sip life" and love.
Place a personal ad now. Sure it's in the UK, BUT you never know
