This man created a dating site so exclusive he's the only person on it
His name is Aaron Smith, he's 32, and he's 'gainfully employed'
If you're interested in dating a "gainfully employed" 32-year-old man named Aaron Smith, you're in luck.
The Greensboro, N.C., tech support worker became so frustrated with online dating services that he decided to make his own.
The mobile website Singularity is billed as a "dating app for women" — and Smith is the only person on it.
"By utilizing the latest in personality analysis and machine learning technology, Singularity saves you countless hours of swiping by just matching you with me," Smith says in a YouTube ad for the site.
He has several profiles on the site. Potential love interests can swipe left to dismiss, right to like and up to "super like." Or they can tap the "black hole button to emit a blood-curdling scream when you realize what life has become."
Smith spoke to As It Happens host Carol Off about this latest innovation in online dating. Here is part of their conversation.
So Aaron, let me get this straight. You are the only guy on this dating app?
Yes.
OK, how does that work?
I figured if I'm the only person on there, then it really saves you lots of time because you don't have to go swiping through endless amounts of guys trying to figure out are you compatible. It's all right there for you.
So you did this to help the women?
Oh no, no no. This is for my benefit. What are you talking about?
The whole thing was a couple of months ago. I'd been on dates from online and it wasn't really working out. I was just kind of bummed out about it, so one day I had an idea for a sketch about, like, a dating app in which I'm the only option. It's me or nothing. Which is a ridiculous idea on its face. It's not going to help anyone at all. But that was kind of the joke of, like, what are you supposed to do in these situations?
But there is more than one image, right? So tell us ... as they swipe sideways to see what else is there, what do they see?
There's 10 total profiles. So the first six are just me in different profile descriptions and different profile pictures. And then after a while, if that Aaron guy's not doing it for you, there's me in disguises.
There's a Corey, who is an acoustic singer-songwriter who loves craft beer. There's Jeremy, who is trying to make his money through pyramid schemes. There's me again with a dog. And the last profile's this guy Artyom, who's me posing as a Russian troll farm operative posing as an American.
Well, I guess the most important question: What success has your app had?
In the last 24 hours or so, this whole thing's really spreading. I've been getting friend requests from random people on Facebook. Some I have mutual friends with, some I don't. So, I mean, I haven't actually met anyone.
OK, so you're getting people contacting you like us getting interviews ... but you haven't had a single date?
I think the way it's going, it's possible that I might get a date out of it. Who knows? But, I mean, I'm just glad that everyone is kind of in on the gag. That's assuming they know it's a joke to begin with.
You have been trying to date online, right? You have tried all these other apps. And so what's it been like?
You don't really know how much chemistry you have with someone until you meet the person, because even if you vibe really well just by texting back and forth and so on, there's always something that's missing.
So I've gone to a lot of dates where it seems like, oh yeah, this person may be really cool, and then you get there and we've got like nothing substantial in common or, you know, there's just not a spark.
It's no one's fault. It just is what it is.
How long have you been doing this?
Oh, years and years and years. I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm an extrovert. I go places all the time. I've got lots of friends. I'll hang out with people, go to live music shows and stuff, and I meet new people all the time. But it's like, yeah, it's just not really happening now.
You can make the argument, "Yeah, it's probably you," which is a fair argument.
You know that this show As It Happens that you're on right now, it's 52 years old, and ... back in the 1970s we actually had a segment called "The Lonely Hearts Club" and we actually got couples together. We had successful matchmaking on this program. So if you want to make a pitch here, I can't promise you anything, but go for it.
If you're like a socially anxious cat lady that likes Harry Potter and video games and doesn't like to go outside, well, statistically, I work well with those.
Written by Sheena Goodyear. Interview produced by Chloe Shantz-Hilkes. Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.