2000-2020s
Reality TV and The Algorithmic Age
Swipe right on the algorithmic age. These articles examine how dating apps, social media, and hookup culture have rewired modern romance—and what evolutionary psychology reveals about where we’re headed.
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What the women want: the other side of the passport bro story
Women fleeing machismo and mia nois for respect and real partnerships Last week I looked at the female passport bro—older Western women who travel to West Africa, the Caribbean, and other destinations in search of romance and sexual connection with younger local men. That phenomenon has been quietly documented for…
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From TikTok to the therapist’s couch: dating language 2020–2025
The most striking thing about dating language in the 2020s isn’t the words themselves—it’s where they came from. For decades, the language of love was generated by psychologists, sociologists, and self-help authors. Then TikTok arrived, and the whole system flipped.” — From ‘Narcissist’ to ‘Shrekking’: how five years of dating…
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Rent-a-dreads and sex tourism: the female passport bro
Female sex tourists—older Western women traveling to West Africa, the Caribbean, and beyond, chasing romance and sex with much younger local men—get almost zero public outrage. Everyone knows the “passport bro”: the Western man flying abroad for a younger wife, often sidestepping Western dating woes. But what about this mirror…
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Dating TV shows: today’s relationship porn
Note: This piece was originally written around 2015, during the peak of the dating TV show and the rise of relationship-focused formats like The Bachelor. A decade later, the genre has only grown more dominant—migrating heavily to streaming platforms, going global with international versions, and experimenting with new twists like…
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Dating apps didn’t kill dating advice—they made it essential
Why the genre thrives in an era of Tinder swipes and algorithmic matches When Tinder launched in 2012, many predicted the death of dating advice books. Why read about approaching strangers or reading signals when an app delivers endless profiles to your phone? The old problems—where to find eligible singles,…
About the author
Andrew King
Author of Costly Signals: The Evolution of Dating Advice. PhD researcher with 500+ dating guides from the 1800s to today. Why do we take romantic advice from strangers? I have answers.
Work with me
Whether you’re a journalist, podcaster, or an event organizer, I’d love to hear from you. I speak on modern dating, evolutionary psychology, and the surprising history of dating advice.
© 2026, Andrew King