Page 16 - IAV Digital Magazine #619

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JD Vance Calls Dating Apps ‘Destructive'
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Eq_fESkHdEU
BY Anna Iovine
Dating apps are getting a lot of flak lately. Daters are opting for in-person
events — even dungeon sound baths — and mov- ing away from increasing AI features and apps that seem to be copying each other.
Vice President JD Vance also has no love for dating apps, apparently. In
an interview on the New York Times's "Interesting
Times" podcast, Vance spoke about his "noneco- nomic" concerns with AI and tech. He told host
and Times opinion colum- nist Ross Douthat, "If you look at basic dating behav- ior among young people — and I think a lot of this is that the dating apps are probably more destructive than we fully appreciate." (Vance met his wife, Usha, in law school.)
"I think part of it is technol- ogy has just for some rea-
son made it harder for young men and young women to communicate with each other in the same way," he continued. "Our young men and women just aren’t dating, and if they’re not dating, they’re not getting married, they’re not starting fami- lies."
With regards to communi- cation, Vance hits on long- time criticism of dating apps and social media in general. A recent survey
found that eight in 10 Gen Z adults would marry an AI, and a theory behind why is that AI is nonjudgmental. Social media users, how- ever, are hypercritical on a large scale. If one has social anxiety, chatting online (to a person or bot) may feel easier than chat- ting face-to-face. Studies show, however, that face- to-face interaction is unbeatable when it comes to connecting with others.
Vance also believes that AI can be "profoundly dark and negative"— not in the cases of people losing jobs, but in teenagers talk- ing to chatbots. A recent report from nonprofit Common Sense Media found that AI bots aren't safe for under-18 use, because they foster emo- tional attachment and dependency.
When it comes to marriage and families, though, Vance didn't touch on
the higher cost of
living and rising inequality facing Americans. He also didn't discuss childcare costs, let alone how much it costs to give birth in the U.S. So, no, dating apps aren't the only problems here.
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