7 ms·

This was exactly the same takeaway I had. I think it's also why so many romance scams are successful. It's super easy to hook all but the most sought after an

This was exactly the same takeaway I had. I think it's also why so many romance scams are successful. It's super easy to hook all but the most sought after and bothered(beautiful, young people?) with sweet words. Me included. I'm older and uglier (and fatter) now, and I get a short shy smile every time the old checkout lady calls me sweetheart or hon. It just feels nice. I also remember a random compliment a lady gave me about my shirt some 2 odd years ago. Heck I even remember compliments from random guys over the years. They're that rare past my early 20s. I'm not so weird or perverted to think anymore than what was written, but I can completely understand how people get hooked.

ffsm8 2y ago
The thing that endlessly confuses me about these products is what the consumers get out of them. I should be the exact target demographic for it, I'm in my late 30s, never been in a relationship as I grew up as a hikikomori between ~13 and 20. As I never learned how to interact with people, I've never really had the opportunity to build real relationships and am now gainfully employed in home office, leaving my apartment roughly once per week for groceries. And yet... What's the point of such a chat bot? I cannot make memories with them, can I? Any memories will keep vanishing as soon as they're out of the current context - so how do people connect with them beyond super casually like with total strangers on the Internet (like online games, anon forums etc)... I just cannot understand what's the appeal for such a transient chat bot.
- silisili 2y ago
  I'm no therapist or expert, but I -think- I have some inclination. You admittedly never participated, so don't know what you missed out on. For everyone else, in your teens and 20s you're more often complimented, flirted with, hung out with, everything. By your late 20s or so that fades fast. After all, there are new 20 year olds to flirt with. And while it doesn't really register or hurt except when you think about it, when you get a single compliment it makes you miss it all. Probably no different than an old sports star being useful and celebrated again. The only missing link to that theory for me is why young people get hooked on them, too.

ffsm8 2y ago

The thing that endlessly confuses me about these products is what the consumers get out of them. I should be the exact target demographic for it, I'm in my late 30s, never been in a relationship as I grew up as a hikikomori between ~13 and 20. As I never learned how to interact with people, I've never really had the opportunity to build real relationships and am now gainfully employed in home office, leaving my apartment roughly once per week for groceries. And yet... What's the point of such a chat bot? I cannot make memories with them, can I? Any memories will keep vanishing as soon as they're out of the current context - so how do people connect with them beyond super casually like with total strangers on the Internet (like online games, anon forums etc)... I just cannot understand what's the appeal for such a transient chat bot.

silisili 2y ago
I'm no therapist or expert, but I -think- I have some inclination. You admittedly never participated, so don't know what you missed out on. For everyone else, in your teens and 20s you're more often complimented, flirted with, hung out with, everything. By your late 20s or so that fades fast. After all, there are new 20 year olds to flirt with. And while it doesn't really register or hurt except when you think about it, when you get a single compliment it makes you miss it all. Probably no different than an old sports star being useful and celebrated again. The only missing link to that theory for me is why young people get hooked on them, too.