Newsletter #4: Introducing The Chorus
An honest conversation about connection.
Chorus is a platform where friends swipe for friends, but it’s also a community of people with relatable, valuable stories to share. Which is why I’m *thrilled* to introduce The Chorus, a new series in partnership with Medium’s Human Parts, about all things online dating, modern relationships, and adult friendship.
In launching The Chorus, we want to create a complex, nuanced conversation about relationships in all forms. This means not limiting our stories to dating or romantic partnership, but talking about the way connections shape our lives in new, complicated, and ever-changing ways.
Our CEO & Founder kicks it off with her essay: Online Dating Isn't Going Away, But Something Needs to Change.
"When I think about meeting new people, I imagine lying in bed alone, thumb swiping from one face to the next. It’s usually late and dark, save for the small glow of my iPhone, the time of night where nothing is clear but the magnitude of one’s loneliness. I study the expressions of strangers on my screen, searching for a hint of self-awareness in their smiles. We’ll match, or not, it hardly matters. The chances that we’ll message are low. And if we do chat, the chances that we will carve out time in our already too-busy lives to make space for each other is almost zero. Mostly, swiping is a game, the goal of which is not to kill Angry Birds or to organize colored candies, but to stave off our collective loneliness, one night at a time."
— Emily J. Smith, CEO & Founder of Chorus
More stories from Chorus contributors.
Stories on The Chorus come from members of our amazing community. These are real people in different stages of relationships, sharing their experiences.
Sara Peterson explores why she's over making mom friends.
"There is a tacit expectation that once we go from being autonomous beings to MOTHERS, we should subsume those aspects of our personalities that once delineated us as multifaceted individuals (senses of humor, aesthetic preferences, political leanings) and be happy, nay, fulfilled, wiling away social hours chatting about sleep-training strategies."
PJ Letourneau shares his experience being set up by friends years before dating apps existed.
"I don’t know if I would have swiped right on Tinder. But I think Steve and Jess may have swiped right for me. Maybe they would have seen something in Maya’s profile, a quirky charm, that told them she might be willing to take a chance on me. Whereas I, socially awkward physics nerd that I was, wouldn’t have suspected she’d give me a chance."
What do you think?
Sharing stories means getting vulnerable, which, as we all know, is completely terrifying. So if these pieces make you feel something, or just make you laugh, let us know. Medium makes this easy--you can clap for stories, highlight lines, and (our personal favorite) share with friends. We hope that in sharing the details, people see themselves in the specificity of other people's lives, and then we all feel a little less alone.
Thanks so much for reading,
Emily
@emjsmith
CEO & Founder