Lauren Goode: Right, right. Yeah, in my experience, it was like the initial contact was in person, not on an app, but it’s still, yes, it’s harder to make imprints, I think. Impressions is probably the right word to use, but yeah.

Michael Calore: And the advice that you get from dating experts and from every time there’s like a mainstream media story about this, they ask a dating expert like, “Well, what is the right way to meet somebody?” and they always say, “Join a group that is within your interests, like take a pottery class, take a dance class, start going to yoga classes.”

Lauren Goode: Run clubs.

Michael Calore: Run clubs, go to art openings. And it’s like that’s great advice if you are the type of person who is not easily overwhelmed socially, if you have the confidence that it takes to strike up a conversation with a stranger in one of those groups, if going to those groups is within your lifestyle availability, like if you have Wednesday nights free, which not everybody does, especially—

Lauren Goode: Right, might be working.

Michael Calore: … people who are single parents, right, might be working. So dating apps have a purpose for those people, for the people who just can’t fit those old-school social interactions into their life because of all the other life stuff they have to deal with.

Lauren Goode: Yeah. It’s almost like what you’re describing is this environment where it’s really ideal for the young, but now the young, as Amanda, you’ve been saying, they’re turning their backs on these old apps.

Mike, when you got married, dating apps weren’t a thing, right? Or maybe there were websites.

Michael Calore: Right. Phones were attached to walls.

Lauren Goode: One number per household. If you were dating someone, your mom knew it. You just have to take the twisty cord around the corner into another room to have a private conversation.

Michael Calore: There were computers and web browsers.

Lauren Goode: Yeah. I was going to say like Match.com must have been around.

Michael Calore: Yes, there was online dating, but I met my wife in a bar, playing pool.

Lauren Goode: Was Phish playing overhead?

Michael Calore: No. I believe it was the Jerry Garcia Band. Thank you very much.

Lauren Goode: Perfect.

Michael Calore: OK. I feel like that’s a good place to end it.

Lauren Goode: You don’t want more questions about your personal life, Mike?

Michael Calore: Not really.

Lauren Goode: Does Hilary listen to our podcast?

Michael Calore: Not really.

Lauren Goode: OK.

Michael Calore: Yeah.

Lauren Goode: Hi, Hills.

Michael Calore: We can say whatever we want.

All right, stick around, Amanda. We’re going to take a break, but we’re going to come back with recommendations.

(Break)

Michael Calore: OK, this is the last part of our show, where we go around the room and we ask everybody to recommend a thing that our listeners might enjoy. Amanda, as our guest, you get to go first. What is your recommendation?