“The Swipe Is Older Than You Think”
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Title: The Curious History of Dating
Author: Nichi Hodgson
Category: Love, Dating & Relationships
We think dating apps are a modern chaos, but Nichi Hodgson shows that love has always been a messy marketplace. From Georgian pleasure gardens to Tinder, it's a wild ride through the history of finding 'the one'.
Sam and Sophie walk through the evolution of dating, from the first personal ads in Georgian London to the gamified swipe of Tinder. They explore how the Victorians turned courtship into a business, how the sexual revolution changed the rules, and how algorithms now promise to predict compatibility—while often reinforcing biases. Along the way, they highlight the continuity: the anxieties, the performances, and the market forces that have always shaped romance.
If you've ever felt overwhelmed by dating apps or wondered why love feels like a game, this episode offers a fresh perspective. The takeaway: dating has never been 'natural'—it's always been a constructed game, and knowing that can make the whole thing feel a little less crazy.
The Curious History of Dating by Nichi Hodgson. If you want the full written summary, the whole library is on 7minutebooks.com/app — over 6,000 titles you can read or listen to in any language, with infographics on many. Unlimited access from $2.99 a month, $9.99 a year, or $19.99 lifetime.
Chapters
00:00Georgian London's Dating Revolution01:42Victorian Dating Becomes Big Business02:28The 20th Century: Cars, Cinema, and Manuals03:18The Internet and the Algorithmic Self03:48Tinder and the Gamified Swipe04:17Continuity and Change in Love
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