As Valentine’s Day approaches, and all our dating apps direct us to the nearest person with whom we can numb the pain of existence, we as a society of singles are of often forced to examine what we really want in a significant other.
Paul Gale, the man who co-wrote the Seth Rogen-narrated Her parody, just released a new video that explores that desire to find our other half, and how fickle social media and technology has made us.
“I wrote ‘The Truth About Being Single’ to discuss how, even though single people — especially in a city as big as New York — claim to be lonely, I feel like when we find someone who is a great match, we see a small flaw and decide eh…we’re not willing to settle yet. The invention of directories containing every person within a 50-mile radius who’s not in a relationship (OkCupid, Tinder, etc.) certainly hasn’t made it any easier. That perfect person could always be just a feeew more clicks away.”
He adds the narrative of the video came from personal experience, but it’s “definitely an extrapolation of it, you know? In terms of dating, I feel that social media has given us impossible standards. I know people who’ve found healthy, stable relationships through it, but it seems like some of these algorithms, and our ability to gain access to these directories of single people, really ends up shooting ourselves in the foot.
“It’s a variation on the ignorance-is-bliss problem. If you’re all but positive that there is someone who is exactly your type out there, why stop searching? Why settle? And then the counterargument to that is you have to make sacrifices in any relationship, no matter how perfect it may be.”
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Screengrab via Paul Gale Comedy/YouTube