Several people could be responding at different times to the same texting thread, so your “boyfriend” is actually a random assortment of people, as opposed to a bot, which makes the texting experience feel very real, dynamic and nonrobotic. According to app creator Matthew Homann, the service is run by a company called CrowdSource, which manages remote freelancers who are paid to respond. You design your “invisible boyfriend” - his name, age and personality - and the texts you receive cater to those specifications. Users pay $25 a month to have a fake boyfriend send them text messages. From texts alone I was able to build an entire narrative of romance, and I was obsessed.Ī few weeks ago we saw the launch of a new texting mobile service called Invisible Boyfriend. But I was completely captivated by the situation. Even at the time, I knew it was an unsatisfying situation that defied dating in any traditional sense - in which, you know, you actually see someone in real life. We texted multiple times a day and shared intimate details of our lives. We texted constantly and, while I knew it wasn’t a full-fledged relationship, it felt very real. But I had only met him in person three times.
A few years ago, I was in what felt like a very intense relationship.