Why this woman’s Tinder profile is messing with people’s minds
SXSW is in full swing in Austin, and some Tinder users are being duped in the process. Here’s the deal: Ava, a beautiful 25-year-old, has been winning Tinder all throughout Austin, but she’s not as perfect as she seems.
She’s swiping right on a few people, including the friend of an Adweek writer who shared their conversation with the site.
Rather than making a connection, this particular user and others like him are experiencing some very targeted advertising.
In the conversation shared at Adweek, Ava asks a series of questions that read a little awkwardly, including “What makes you human?” At the end of the short “test” as she calls it, users are told to check out her Instagram, @meetava. But once there, it’s pretty clear they’ve been catfished.
Turns out that Ava is a robot, and the entire exchange has directed the intrepid young lovebird to an account advertising Ex Machina, a film about artificial intelligence that premiered at SXSW on Saturday. The woman in the picture is actress Alicia Vikander, a star in the film.
Although you can’t begrudge Tinder users from feeling a bit manipulated, it is a clever advertising ploy. It’s an innovative use of social media that connects well with the overall plot of Ex Machina, albeit in a sorta creepy way. The trailer of the film is below, and I promise I’m not a bot!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYGzRB4Pnq8