4 ms·

I recall a daily science fiction piece in which people were romantically involved according to various algorithms that enforced optimal evaluations such as a li

I recall a daily science fiction piece in which people were romantically involved according to various algorithms that enforced optimal evaluations such as a limited difference in wages. The plot was that a woman falls in love with man, but she recieves a promotion which makes her relationship inappropriate according to the algorithm of her robot-servant. She is issued two days to get over it and is swiftly paired up with another male, who affirms that he is also recovering from the same emotional burden of losing a loved one in this same way.

mountainofdeath 8y ago
I am pretty sure the Black Mirror anthology on Netflix had an episode with the exact situation.
- unclebucknasty 8y ago
  Maybe "Hang the DJ" [0]? Had a more upbeat twist at the end vs the GP comment above though. Pretty good episode. One of my favorites. [0]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_the_DJ_(Black_Mirror) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_the_DJ_(Black_Mirror)
strikelaserclaw 8y ago
sounds like the current state of online dating to me.
- SolaceQuantum 8y ago
  Could you explain? I don't date online, so I don't understand the relation.
  - strikelaserclaw 8y ago
    Merely a comment on modern online dating in which, each person optimizes according to their selection criteria vs what they can realistically get and ghost people if they find better matches. There are even terms describing phenomena of this bent like "serial monogamy"
    - SolaceQuantum 8y ago
      I see; how does this relate to a story about what happens when the selection criteria is decided entirely outside of the control of the dating parties?
      - strikelaserclaw 8y ago
        It was merely a point intended to express similarities between your scenario and what's happening in the modern world. I could see a scenario like the one you described playing out where if after a string of bad choices in this optimization problem, people leave the "deciding" up to a machine. And if that proves successful over a certain amount of people, society might start putting the power of relationships in the hands of machines and algorithms.
    - magduf 8y ago
      You're going to have to expand on this, as this isn't what I see at all, and I've been dating online for a long time. People definitely are trying to optimize what they can get, I'll agree, but that's no different from pre-internet dating. People have always tried to optimize what they could get in a dating partner, usually men for appearance, and women for paycheck. As for ghosting, I've certainly seen that, but that's usually something you experience very early on, even before you first meet someone (at which point it's kinda hard to call it "ghosting" if you've never even met them). I frequently have women match up with me, and then never respond. These people I suspect are just seeing how many matches they can acquire, and then choosing from the ones that interest them the most and leaving the rest in the queue in case they're bored one night and want a date. Usually, it's "ghosting" when you've been dating someone a while and then they suddenly disappear. I wouldn't blame that on online dating, that's just bad modern behavior, and can happen regardless of how two people initially meet. As for "serial monogamy", again, this is just modern behavior, as opposed to 50+ years ago when divorce was uncommon and taboo. If you have different partners in your life, but you're monogamous with them while you're dating them, that, by definition, is "serial monogamy". I don't really see how that's a bad thing, unless you don't think people should ever get divorced (which means you support people staying in abusive or miserable situations), or you're trying to push for polyamory to become normal. It's just unavoidable.
apo 8y ago
Have you seen Hang the DJ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_the_DJ_(Black_Mirror) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_the_DJ_(Black_Mirror)
- SolaceQuantum 8y ago
  Yes; this short story was distinctly different. The concept is similar but the short story captured more beauty IMO. I can't find the short story now, unfortunately. I am terrible with titles.
Marcus316 8y ago
I was very curious and wanted to see if I could google-fu this story up. I think I've found it (and I don't blame you for being unable to remember the name): "takotsubo cardiomyopathy by Gage Johnston" https://dailysciencefiction.com/science-fiction/future-societies/gage-johnston/takotsubo-cardiomyopathy https://dailysciencefiction.com/science-fiction/future-socie...
- SolaceQuantum 8y ago
  YES! IT WAS THIS ONE. Thank you!

mountainofdeath 8y ago

I am pretty sure the Black Mirror anthology on Netflix had an episode with the exact situation.

unclebucknasty 8y ago
Maybe "Hang the DJ" [0]? Had a more upbeat twist at the end vs the GP comment above though. Pretty good episode. One of my favorites. [0]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_the_DJ_(Black_Mirror) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_the_DJ_(Black_Mirror)

strikelaserclaw 8y ago

sounds like the current state of online dating to me.

SolaceQuantum 8y ago
Could you explain? I don't date online, so I don't understand the relation.
- strikelaserclaw 8y ago
  Merely a comment on modern online dating in which, each person optimizes according to their selection criteria vs what they can realistically get and ghost people if they find better matches. There are even terms describing phenomena of this bent like "serial monogamy"
  - SolaceQuantum 8y ago
    I see; how does this relate to a story about what happens when the selection criteria is decided entirely outside of the control of the dating parties?
    - strikelaserclaw 8y ago
      It was merely a point intended to express similarities between your scenario and what's happening in the modern world. I could see a scenario like the one you described playing out where if after a string of bad choices in this optimization problem, people leave the "deciding" up to a machine. And if that proves successful over a certain amount of people, society might start putting the power of relationships in the hands of machines and algorithms.
  - magduf 8y ago
    You're going to have to expand on this, as this isn't what I see at all, and I've been dating online for a long time. People definitely are trying to optimize what they can get, I'll agree, but that's no different from pre-internet dating. People have always tried to optimize what they could get in a dating partner, usually men for appearance, and women for paycheck. As for ghosting, I've certainly seen that, but that's usually something you experience very early on, even before you first meet someone (at which point it's kinda hard to call it "ghosting" if you've never even met them). I frequently have women match up with me, and then never respond. These people I suspect are just seeing how many matches they can acquire, and then choosing from the ones that interest them the most and leaving the rest in the queue in case they're bored one night and want a date. Usually, it's "ghosting" when you've been dating someone a while and then they suddenly disappear. I wouldn't blame that on online dating, that's just bad modern behavior, and can happen regardless of how two people initially meet. As for "serial monogamy", again, this is just modern behavior, as opposed to 50+ years ago when divorce was uncommon and taboo. If you have different partners in your life, but you're monogamous with them while you're dating them, that, by definition, is "serial monogamy". I don't really see how that's a bad thing, unless you don't think people should ever get divorced (which means you support people staying in abusive or miserable situations), or you're trying to push for polyamory to become normal. It's just unavoidable.

apo 8y ago

Have you seen Hang the DJ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_the_DJ_(Black_Mirror) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_the_DJ_(Black_Mirror)

SolaceQuantum 8y ago
Yes; this short story was distinctly different. The concept is similar but the short story captured more beauty IMO. I can't find the short story now, unfortunately. I am terrible with titles.

Marcus316 8y ago

I was very curious and wanted to see if I could google-fu this story up. I think I've found it (and I don't blame you for being unable to remember the name): "takotsubo cardiomyopathy by Gage Johnston" https://dailysciencefiction.com/science-fiction/future-societies/gage-johnston/takotsubo-cardiomyopathy https://dailysciencefiction.com/science-fiction/future-socie...

SolaceQuantum 8y ago
YES! IT WAS THIS ONE. Thank you!