A dating app for serial killers. Back when the internet first got in gear, people discovered they could network with others that shared their interests. These networks quickly became opportunities for sexual connections and many industrious sexual explorers took it upon themselves to dive headfirst into a dating scene specific to their proclivities. For the next generation, one that lives almost exclusively online, what better way to indulge in your sexual fantasies than finding a partner who also explicitly shared your specific interests before you’ve even exchanged glands?
Historically, the first example of a dating site to hit the mainstream was ‘Lots-Of-Fish.com’, a site for fishermen, fishmongers, goldfish wranglers or marine enthusiasts to find partners who would either cover themselves in fish eggs/heads/entrails or be prepared to love someone who liked to do that to themselves. Crucially, you could cast your net narrowly, filtering for matches that were looking for the same exacting kind of companionship that you were after, whether that was a long-term romantic relationship, or a visit to the loo for a quick fish finger.
Since then, many sites have grown in notoriety; Timber.net was a large one for a time, which catered for lumberjacks bored of tossing the caber alone; some spritely man set up Groundr for coffee lovers to share their beans and latte tips; Nun-Of-The-Above.va filled a niche, exclusively for men in the Vatican area looking to find women in the habit of praising God; Heart2Heart allowed patients to find someone who shared their interests (often people who need an organ donation looking to find active healthy companionships from people who happen to enjoy dangerous driving); then there was Smitten, for men who like kittens, women who like skittles; one of the big failures in the space was Bee2Bee, which sought to connect those working in honey distribution specifically within the commercial sector; LoveSick rose to prominence during the pandemic, but it wasn’t in isolation - BubbleUp, Covid-19AndOver and FancyAB(l)oJo? all found viral success. My personal favourite was Eh-Oh!Cupid - a site for Teletubby fans (who call themselves aerial-heads) that don’t want to feel ashamed of their Tinkywinkies.
Alongside the growth in dating sites online, true crime became more culturally acceptable thanks to podcasts like Serial and David Berkowitz’s Comedy Hour. And so, another avenue for sexual exploration required its own space to thrive - and Unhingd was born.
For context, the app allows users to swipe right with a chiv on those they take a liking to, while their profiles display hastily drawn police sketches by departments hot on their tail; in the latest feature revision, police departments themselves are able to connect unsolved disappearances with users on the app. It is estimated that the business has a net worth of $3 billion, though it is currently being dismembered by venture capitalists.
However, it should be noted that women looking for love inside a jail cell was not anything new - before everyone had a vibrating machine in their pocket to facilitate their passion, men and women would try to meet through any means necessary, by text, by phone, by mail and even carrier pigeon (which interestingly lead to avian flu being listed as an STD thanks to horny pigeon fanciers).
Exactly what attracts women to those who have killed has puzzled criminologists (often idiot virgins for what its worth). In a recent conference on ‘incarceration infatuation’, women, it was claimed, fall into three categories: the first, it was argued, see these violent actions as a proof of passion, often fantasising about these men like characters in a romance novel - misunderstood beasts who would kill for love, waiting to be tamed. The second are a cohort who like the idea of a partner that they wouldn’t actually need to see in person, quite happy to compartmentalise their physical relationship into the limited visitation hours permitted by the jail. The third category however, royalists, just liked the idea of seeing someone serving at her majesty’s pleasure (winky emoji). If only, these criminologists concluded, these women liked researchers - shy, quiet types who read books about serial killers - we’d all be in a better place.
