Looking for someone to tell you they love you? Well, look no further.
Invisible Boyfriend and Girlfriend are websites that give you real-world, social proof that you’re in a relationship. You can create a cyber-mate that will send you text messages and letters – just like a real relationship.
However, it comes with a price.
A month of service with Invisible Boyfriend or Girlfriend will set you back $25. That includes 100 text messages, 10 voicemails, and a handwritten note.
Matt Homann, the co-founder of Invisible Girlfriend, says he had the idea for the company because he noticed a widespread need.
“I’ve had these ideas, Invisible Girlfriend and Invisible Boyfriend for almost nine years,” says Homann. “I bought the domains when I was newly divorced when I realized how much judgement there was for people who are single.”
Homann says the website is tailored to multiple types of people, including folks getting hit on at work, those who want to concentrate on their jobs, and people tired of being asked who they’re dating.
“But even beyond that, we’ve seen that a fair number of our folks are using it to have someone to converse with,” says Homann.
The website is three months old and has over 60,000 users. Ross Simmonds, a social media strategist, says he’s not surprised people are paying the $25 monthly fee.
“People are willing to pay 25 bucks to get out of those awkward conversations,” he says.
While Homann’s website is doing well, he says he wishes the social void didn’t exist in the first place.
“In a perfect world, the service wouldn’t need to exist,” he says. “People could live their lives on their own terms.”
Simmonds says that need is only going to increase.
“Interactions that happen on a day to day basis are happening online over Facebook messages and things like that. So this is an opportunity for people to fine tune those skills.”
Skills that could be transferred from invisible relationships to real ones.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Priya Sam
