Serial dating and push presents: love in the age of the algorithm is complex | Zandile Powell

Couples and singles let us into their idealised love lives online, but our role as viewers makes it more of a ménage à troisSitting in a hospital bed, pregnant Campbell Puckett, known as “Pookie”, is handed a Craie Kelly Epsom 25 Hermès bag (retailing around £20,000) by her husband, Jett. “It’s time for her push present,” he says behind the camera. The husband and wife are arguably the internet’s favourite heterosexual couple at the moment, and if they are anything to go by, the standards for modern romance are high.Jett recently gave Pookie a single instruction on one of their European getaways: “Do not leave Paris without a Birkin.” Luxury unboxings are a staple on their page.These #relationshipgoals have increasingly influenced viewers’ standards and expectations in their own relationships. The spectacle of lavish gifts and experiences can shift expectations and expressions of love towards the more demonstrable aspects of romance. “If my husband doesn’t get me a Hermès Kelly as my push present, he will be fired,” reads one TikTok comment.Zandile Powell is a video essayist and writer Continue reading...

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