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Would you pay for an algorithm to pickyour friends? New social apps spread across cities

With many adults admitting they feel lonely, meetup platforms offer the chance to make new connections

Read full story on The Guardian
Kimi Chaddah26 Aug 2026, 06:00 amUpdated 3h ago1 min readTechGlobal
Would you pay for an algorithm to pick your friends? New social apps spread across cities

GlobalKimi Chaddah

With many adults admitting they feel lonely, meetup platforms offer the chance to make new connections

Would you pay £20 a month for the chance of making a friend, on the understanding that an algorithm – not you – gets to decide who you’ll meet?

Driven by the decline of “third spaces” such as youth centres and pubs, an increase in remote working and rising loneliness – 40% of adults aged 16 to 29 feel lonely “always, often or some of the time”, according to the Office for National Statistics – paid social events are now in vogue.

Would you pay £20 a month for the chance of making a friend, on the understanding that an algorithm – not you – gets to decide who you’ll meet?

This report is published with credit to The Guardian. The wire sent a summary; open the original for any extra context. Read on The Guardian

Source: The Guardian · Kimi Chaddah. Published 26 Aug 2026, 06:00 am.

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