What if TikTok Started a Dating App

and other adventures in data

It’s not with great pride that I say TikTok knows me well. After feeding its algorithm for approximately one pandemic, it has a good read on what I like to do (and what I wish I did) in my spare time. It serves me hilarious videos, ranging from breath-through-my-nose funny to actual laughter. It knows I like coffee TikToks, but only through the eyes of a sarcastic, yet generous reviewer. Occasionally, it suggests cats.

TikTok is a giant. It avoided a ban from a previous administration, has thrived despite its competition reel-ing, and has provided many of us with an addictive kind of escapism — one that has only gotten better with time.

Videos are a not a bad entry point here, but given TikTok’s data collection, I wonder what they could do with it if they chose to. Yes, they could sell our data (so original!), but I think they’re poised to have a larger societal impact than as another ad-engine. If they wanted to cement a more powerful role in our lives, they might consider a few other methods of engagement.

The Feature Set

The Dating Avenue

Dating apps are a weird space. Ranging from algorithmic promises to a promise of elitist exclusivity, platforms have tried hard to tap into our hearts. A lot of the times, this works well (or so I’ve heard), but most all of these components are missing out on the shared experience space. Yes, they can match you by mutual swipes or by your salary or by your religion, but then it’s on you to make it happen. You have to go out and actually go on a date.

TikTok has enough data to be a compatibility engine, but they also have a platform that’s designed to feed you experiences you love. What if you could share in that experience with someone else? I’m having a hard time explaining this, so here’s a step by step:

1. Users interested in dating opt-in to the program. Unlike Tinder, Hinge, and others, TikTok asks only two questions: the age range you’re comfortable with and the distance you’re willing to travel. It knows the rest.
2. At a specified time, two users are invited to a shared feed. Think Netflix Party for TikTok, but with a few key features. Instead of chat, these users will have an option to be mic’d up or have a live video feed.
3. Those on the date would have 3 minutes to talk. Brief, but enough to say hi. Then, the feed would start. Videos would be annotated with who’s feed it’s coming from, but otherwise it would work normally. If one user swipes to pass a video, the same happens for the other (perhaps).
4. Those on the “date” could stop the feed at any time to laugh at one video or discuss another, but the shared experience is provided nonetheless.
5. After a previously-designated amount of time, the date concludes and users are offered a chance to be friends on the platform. Should they want, they can have the same type of experience again. Alternatively, TikTok could recommend an outing that both of people would love.

This solution is far from perfect — matching based on similar interests may be a terrible choice in terms of finding a partner.

Still, by providing a low-barrier to entry in terms of “first dates,” TikTok could drastically increase the number of dates one goes on. As users go on more and more dates, TikTok is able to provider better and better suited partners. It’s not quite as good as Black Mirror’s dating simulation, but from a data perspective, it’s pretty damn good.

The Meetup Space

In a similar capacity to Bumble BFF, TikTok could do the same with friends. By matching groups of 4 to 5 people with each other, TikTok could provide users with new clubs, interest groups, or adventure buddies overnight. In a NYC for a few months? TikTok Meetup could pair you with 4 users who are also in NYC for a few months, have the same interests and tastes as you, and are (likely) around your age. Maybe you all watch videos together or maybe you grab a bite. Either way, the burden of finding one another is eliminated.

The Business Case

TikTok, of course, has to have reason to do this. Whether or not the bars are open, TikTok knows that it will be open on countless devices. Instead, TikTok could view the two above features in a few ways:

• The Casual Infiltration — TikTok will maintain its status as a social media god for the next few years (at least). Yet, if TikTok wants to be more than social media company, tying itself to other aspects of your life is a good investment. Just as Apple now owns your banking, your media, and your fitness, TikTok could begin to own your relationship. Step one? Find your partner. Step two? Find your house, your new career, and your community.
• New User Acquisition — a promise to be paired with people like you is a good user value, particularly for those older than the K-12 demographic that TikTok serves really well right now.
• A Proof of Concept — showing advertisers that TikTok can pair people together with a high rate of success provides evidence that they could pair advertisers to users with a high rate of success.
• Subscription Revenue — If TikTok chose to, they could offer tiers of the above features. Perhaps pro-users could unlock filters (though, ideally, they wouldn’t need them).

A Brief Conclusion

TikTok can stay as a video platform if it wants — the world will love them for it. Yet, if TikTok wanted to, I think they could be a lot more. Whether it’s through dating or otherwise, I’m curious to see what they do with our data. Here’s to hoping its something more original than ads.