 |
Love in the Time of Algorithms
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
Flip to back
Flip to front
Love in the Time of Algorithms: What Technology Does to Meeting and Mating Hardcover – January 24, 2013
 |
$20.14
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.
Only 16 left in stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Gift-wrap available.
Frequently Bought Together
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
Start reading Love in the Time of Algorithms on your Kindle in under a minute.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
New! Introducing the tech.book(store), a hub for Software Developers and Architects, Networking Administrators, TPMs, and other technology professionals to find highly-rated and highly-relevant career resources. Shop books on programming and big data, or read this week's blog posts by authors and thought-leaders in the tech industry. > Shop now
Product Details
|
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Slater considers all these issues in an intelligent, edgy, thought-provoking way. His book is worth at least a speed date.”
—Washington Post Books
“In ‘Love in the Time of Algorithms’ journalist Dan Slater has dug in manfully to explain how technology is transforming how we meet and fall in love.”
—The Wall Street Journal
“Slater’s account of the history of the cyber dating industry—from ginormous clunky old computers to modern complex algorithms—is well detailed.”
—The Financial Times
“From the hilariously awkward beginings of Harvard’s computer-dating industry to the groovy Miami parties of the profession today, Slater expertly leads us through the biggest reshuffle in courtship in our lifetime (from here, the ’60s and ’70s look like Jane Austen).An astute investigation of the way technology may have remade the most important aspect of existence: love.”
—Washington Post Books
“In ‘Love in the Time of Algorithms’ journalist Dan Slater has dug in manfully to explain how technology is transforming how we meet and fall in love.”
—The Wall Street Journal
“Slater’s account of the history of the cyber dating industry—from ginormous clunky old computers to modern complex algorithms—is well detailed.”
—The Financial Times
“From the hilariously awkward beginings of Harvard’s computer-dating industry to the groovy Miami parties of the profession today, Slater expertly leads us through the biggest reshuffle in courtship in our lifetime (from here, the ’60s and ’70s look like Jane Austen).An astute investigation of the way technology may have remade the most important aspect of existence: love.”
—VANESSA GRIGORIADIS, contributing editor, New York Magazine
“One in five relationships now starts in front of a computer. But how did we get here? Dan Slater gives us a peek into the quirky minds of the dating executives who built the industry and the lives of those who have been forever transformed by the online-dating revolution. As one of those execs, I thought I knew the story. But with humor and fresh insight, Slater will change the way you think about love in a digital world.”
—SAM YAGAN, cofounder and CEO, OkCupid
“An irresistible read that details the efforts of computer scientists and entrepreneurs to solve the oldest of life’s challenges: finding the right life partner. Neither a slam nor celebration of online dating, Slater’s book makes it clear that mate finding really has changed forever, and like it or not, we’re probably not going back.”
—TIM WU, author of The Master Switch
“Love in the Time of Algorithms is a fascinating romp through the world of online dating. The book is packed with anecdotes about how people are adapting (or not) to love on the Internet, but Slater also asks the big questions: Can science predict love? And what does the abundance of choice unleashed by dating sites mean for the future of relationships?”
—BETHANY McLEAN, coauthor of The Smartest Guys in the Room
“Like pretty much every other commodity in a digitally enhanced world, romance is now in abundance. But, as Slater deftly and entertainingly demonstrates, relegating love to the logic of algorithms changes not only who we end up with, but how we think about mating, relationships, human volition, and even fate.”
—DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF, author of Life Inc. and Present Shock
“WTF is up with online dating and the prevalence of technology in our love lives?! In this artful examination of our techno-romantic universe, Dan Slater offers an eye-opening look at the ways our very own behaviors and desires have been forever changed.”
—JESSICA MASSA and REBECCA WIEGAND, cocreators of The Gaggle & WTF Is Up With My Love Life?!
About the Author
DAN SLATER is a widely published author of journal-ism and creative nonfiction. A former legal affairs reporter for The Wall Street Journal, he is currently a contributor to Fast Company and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, and GQ. Slater is a graduate of Colgate University and Brooklyn Law School.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By
C. P. Anderson
on May 28, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition
Comment
Sending feedback...
What a fun topic. I think just about anyone could find this one interesting.
That said, I found that the author, unfortunately, really didn't deliver. Here are some things I felt the book was a little short on:
- Algorithms. There's a great set of correlations about halfway through the book from the blog of one of the guys who started OKCupid, but that was about it. In other words, the behind-the-scenes stuff about how all this works really wasn't there. Instead, what we get is a lot of history and individual stories. Interesting, but just not the same.
- Lots of jumping around. I like when an author threads a bunch of stories together, but - honestly - I had a really hard time keeping track of who's who or even what a particular section was about. And his attempts at transitions from one part to another (when there) seemed rather forced.
- Somewhat surprisingly obscene material. Maybe this was in there solely for titillation, or maybe that's just the way things are these days. I don't know. It really didn't seem necessary however. I'm not a prude, but I thought it was really overplayed.
- Wearing his politics on his sleeve. It's pretty obvious that he's rather liberal when it comes to sexual matters. He doesn't seem to take the more conservative eHarmony very seriously, and he also goes a little nuts on the international sites (he sees them as imperialistic exploitation). I'm pretty liberal myself, but could definitely have used a little more balance.
- Lack of real depth. This is very much a journalistic effort. If you're expecting a Dan-Ariely- or Malcolm-McDowell-like work, you'll be disappointed.Read more ›
That said, I found that the author, unfortunately, really didn't deliver. Here are some things I felt the book was a little short on:
- Algorithms. There's a great set of correlations about halfway through the book from the blog of one of the guys who started OKCupid, but that was about it. In other words, the behind-the-scenes stuff about how all this works really wasn't there. Instead, what we get is a lot of history and individual stories. Interesting, but just not the same.
- Lots of jumping around. I like when an author threads a bunch of stories together, but - honestly - I had a really hard time keeping track of who's who or even what a particular section was about. And his attempts at transitions from one part to another (when there) seemed rather forced.
- Somewhat surprisingly obscene material. Maybe this was in there solely for titillation, or maybe that's just the way things are these days. I don't know. It really didn't seem necessary however. I'm not a prude, but I thought it was really overplayed.
- Wearing his politics on his sleeve. It's pretty obvious that he's rather liberal when it comes to sexual matters. He doesn't seem to take the more conservative eHarmony very seriously, and he also goes a little nuts on the international sites (he sees them as imperialistic exploitation). I'm pretty liberal myself, but could definitely have used a little more balance.
- Lack of real depth. This is very much a journalistic effort. If you're expecting a Dan-Ariely- or Malcolm-McDowell-like work, you'll be disappointed.Read more ›
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
18 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By
Katherine Preston
on March 2, 2013
Format: Hardcover
Comment
Sending feedback...
Slater offers a fascinating, behind-the-screens look into the complex world of online dating. Without judgement or bias he leads us through the workings of companies from Match to AshleyMadison. Love in the Time of Algorithms shows us how the internet reflects our varied preferences and explores the way that endless choice effects our relationships. Written without dogma, his intelligent and thoughtful book lets his readers form their own conclusions.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By
Ken Kugler
on February 25, 2013
Format: Hardcover
Comment
Sending feedback...
I heard about, Love in the Time of Algorithms, by Dan Slater, on wnyc.org a few weeks ago. I know that the internet dating scene had changed alot and that interested me. It has become a grand meeting place for people and does not have the stigma that it used to have even as recently as 15 years ago.
I know several people who have meet their spouse on the internet and a couple more who are in long(ish) term relations with internet dating sites to thank. That said, I was interested in the technical points and the author had started this book originally as a couple of magazine articles that he was encouraged to expand into this book. The book explores the evolution of dating questions and how it is used to reach people. An interesting sidebar is that the authors found out that his parents had met via a computer match.
That said, it seems that computer/internet dating should evolve into another form of meeting people. It, having lost mostly, the stigma it had in the past seems like it should be just another form of dating but many things come into play. The lack of transparency by the dating services on how many people are actively involved is one thing. They leave people who have registered and left on forever. An example is that one of the owners' of a dating site has been married for ten years and yet his profile leads the uninformed to think that it has been inactive only for three weeks. Also the pay sites do not let you know how many people are just registered and not paying members so that they cannot respond right away. Another issue that has popped up is internet scams, preying on the lonely. The companies have only recently started policing themselves to ferret out fraud and sex offenders.Read more ›
I know several people who have meet their spouse on the internet and a couple more who are in long(ish) term relations with internet dating sites to thank. That said, I was interested in the technical points and the author had started this book originally as a couple of magazine articles that he was encouraged to expand into this book. The book explores the evolution of dating questions and how it is used to reach people. An interesting sidebar is that the authors found out that his parents had met via a computer match.
That said, it seems that computer/internet dating should evolve into another form of meeting people. It, having lost mostly, the stigma it had in the past seems like it should be just another form of dating but many things come into play. The lack of transparency by the dating services on how many people are actively involved is one thing. They leave people who have registered and left on forever. An example is that one of the owners' of a dating site has been married for ten years and yet his profile leads the uninformed to think that it has been inactive only for three weeks. Also the pay sites do not let you know how many people are just registered and not paying members so that they cannot respond right away. Another issue that has popped up is internet scams, preying on the lonely. The companies have only recently started policing themselves to ferret out fraud and sex offenders.Read more ›
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By
Mary Shelton
on February 3, 2013
Format: Hardcover
Comment
Sending feedback...
This book was a great read. The history around how internet dating has evolved combined with the anecdotes about how people are adapting to this environment for meeting and mating was fascinating, entertaining and informative. I wasn't certain what I could get out of the book being married already, but I was curious about the topic and Slater's unbiased approach to tackling this topic and chronicling it's evolution is excellent. Rarely would I recommend a book to all genders and age ranges, but this book does for technology and dating what Zinn did for the account on US history.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By
Dr. Wilson Trivino
on January 24, 2013
Format: Hardcover
2 Comments
Sending feedback...
In the world of singles, the traditional model of dating is that to meet a quality person is to participate in activities you like and have an open mind. This will result in meeting like-minded individuals that may be potential mates. Dan Slater attempts in `Love in the Time of Algorithms' to explain how technology fits into this traditional methods of dating.
Webster's defines algorithms as a mathematical rule or procedure for solving a problem. Slater's hypothesis is that technology has replaced the way that courtships occur today. Another traditional sense was that a community, vis-à-vis, through religion, the neighborhood, or friends, single individuals were selected for introduction. The rise of technology while creating more interconnectedness has resulted in less of a traditional way of meeting.
From the first personal ads in newspapers, to the video dating, to online dating, there has been a stigma in using these `services'. Slater blames this stigma on people feeling that they can not meet someone in a traditional sense but the use of technology are seen as inferior.
Slater has examined some of the most popular internet based matching making sites, from eHarmony to Match to Plenty of Fish and examined their inner workings. The algorithms that these companies use are more of a sorting mechanism, but like in real life, there is no real way of knowing if a match will work. The successful results are difficult to replicate.
One factor that bears into these encounters that is not really discussed is that once a person decides to use these services, then they are more open to making the potential encounter work. It seems that technology will not replace the "gut" feeling that occurs when two people meet.Read more ›
Webster's defines algorithms as a mathematical rule or procedure for solving a problem. Slater's hypothesis is that technology has replaced the way that courtships occur today. Another traditional sense was that a community, vis-à-vis, through religion, the neighborhood, or friends, single individuals were selected for introduction. The rise of technology while creating more interconnectedness has resulted in less of a traditional way of meeting.
From the first personal ads in newspapers, to the video dating, to online dating, there has been a stigma in using these `services'. Slater blames this stigma on people feeling that they can not meet someone in a traditional sense but the use of technology are seen as inferior.
Slater has examined some of the most popular internet based matching making sites, from eHarmony to Match to Plenty of Fish and examined their inner workings. The algorithms that these companies use are more of a sorting mechanism, but like in real life, there is no real way of knowing if a match will work. The successful results are difficult to replicate.
One factor that bears into these encounters that is not really discussed is that once a person decides to use these services, then they are more open to making the potential encounter work. It seems that technology will not replace the "gut" feeling that occurs when two people meet.Read more ›
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Most Recent Customer Reviews
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
