In much the same way that every new convenience led tech venture markets itself as “the new Uber”, so too will every new development in dating profess itself to be “the new Tinder”, and every new social media platform “the new TikTok”. It’s perhaps unsurprising, then, that the latest dating app service to hit the market, Snack, is marketing itself as both the new Tinder and the new TikTok all rolled into one.
Snack, a video-first mobile dating app, combines TikTok’s FYP with Tinder’s endless scrolling, allowing users to post a video, rather than create a traditional dating photo, which potential matches will then see in their own feed. If you like a person’s video, and they like yours, then the app matches you and invites you to start direct messaging.
The move away from profiles and into video is all part of the company’s belief that “videos allow users to better showcase their interests and lifestyle, as well as show off their personalities in ways static photos cannot”. Which anyone who has spent five hours mindlessly scrolling through TikTok, mesmerised by 15 to 60 seconds of other people’s lives, can attest to.
Snack has clearly been designed with Gen Z in mind, and it therefore wants them to buy into the idea (literally). Today, the startup announced that they’re opening up to Gen Z investors, pitching itself to a “Gen Z syndicate” of influencers, creators and anyone else who’s looking for love and has enough spare cash lying around to help the company raise the $2 million they’re after to take on Tinder.
They’re tying themselves to TikTok pretty closely, with Snack users able to share their TikTok videos to their profiles, as well as creating clips specifically for Snack. “I fundamentally believe now that the right opportunity is the distribution on TikTok, as well as influencers,” the company’s founder Kim Kaplan told Techcrunch. “I think that combination of TikTok being the new distribution channel is going to be a massive opportunity — and that’s what we’re trying to leverage.”
While it’s still early days, it makes sense that this kind of less curated style of dating profile creation will lead the way, as anyone who has ever despaired over how to nail the perfect mix of fit and funny in a Hinge profile can attest to. Beware though. While Snack is marketing itself primarily as a Gen Z dating app for now, they will of course be scaling older as they become more popular. Which means prepare to see side-fringe millennials and skinny jean wearing Gen Xers on your Snack feed soon, trying to flirt by copying Addison Rae’s bad dance moves. Nobody ever said finding love was easy, I guess!