This is basically a no-true-Scotsman -- "devout" has no objective definition, and there are unquestionably people who identify as Muslim who are married to non-Muslims.
What about features in an app that allow users to filter profiles of potential mates by their religion? Or age? Or gender?
I think I understand where you're coming from - that the app contributes to cultural divisiveness - but I don't think I like the implication, which to me is "one is not allowed to seek ways of finding others of a similar culture." If you don't allow projects to be created that allow people to find those similar to them, you are taking away their ability to do so.
> that allow people to find those similar to them, you are taking away their ability to do so
This is what I want. That people find their SO on a natural and unexpected way and not by sticking to their roots and setting the right filter in their dating app. Do you think Americans would be Americans today if hundreds years ago all the immigrants stayed with their groups? And again I use religion and ethnicity here equally since most of these platform do this implicitely too.
A society can only evolve and develop in a healthy way if groups mix. There are already so many barriers which hinder us to interact with others. Just say no to rules from the last century.
1. What are the acceptable "natural and unexpected ways" for people to meet their life partners?
2. Do you genuinely believe that your opinion on the matter means that dating apps (all of them) should not exist? (note that you would have to say this as an outlier - clearly, people love dating apps, and clearly, people have found their life partners through them)
Addressing 1, because it illustrates to me what I believe is the largest hole in your argument. You claim "hundreds of years ago all immigrants DID NOT stay within their groups," and that platforms implicitly put people into groups (implication: people wouldn't do this if it were not for platforms).
I am somewhat surprised that you believe this - it's as if you've never been to a China Town or Harlem, or lived abroad in a country where nobody speaks your native language. Like people mingle with like people, and immigrant populations meld slowly, very rarely losing ALL of their identity. All of known society operates on this history, and obviously our society isn't ideal but it's certainly functional having existed on this paradigm. And, as time marches forward, so do the cultures merge further. Why try to speed up the process unnecessarily?
That people mix with those similar to them now being established (feel free to challenge me on it! I'm just saying, that's my premise here), it would only be "natural" for them to do so with or without an app to aid them. They clearly want to do it, so of course people will capitalize on that desire with businesses. YCombinator, I believe, operates as an investor, and an investor will want to fund businesses that operate on successful business models... I mean really, I'm having a hard time seeing how you can challenge this?
Anyway, you talk about barriers, but really I think you're the one arguing for barriers, by setting rules around how people are allowed to interact. I like riding motorcycles, but in your world I would not be allowed to specifically seek out other motorcycle riders, because somehow it is healthier for society that the percentage of my friends that are motorcyclists is perfectly equal to the percentage of society that are motorcyclists. The whole concept of shared hobbies falls apart under this model, for no reason. Because of apps I can seek out new hobbies and people that do things differently than me - I don't want to be forced to do that, I can do it on my own time!
