Modern Arranged Marriage? New App 'Rivet' Ditches Swiping and Lets Strangers Pick Your Potential Partners

You'd think arranged marriages were a thing of the past. But what if, instead of your parents or relatives picking a potential partner, you left the job to strangers on an app?

Rivet puts a modern spin on that idea. Those playing matchmaker can also earn Karma points, redeemable for rewards, on top of the bragging rights that come with making a successful match.

Founded by former Tinder and Match Group executive Taru Kapoor, Rivet launched nationwide in the US on 24 September. In a press release published on PR Newswire, the dating network described its approach as 'Social Matching,' where other users weigh in on potential couples before the pair decide whether they actually want to connect. The app is also available on iOS and Android across multiple regions worldwide.

How Does Rivet's Version of 'Arranged' Dating Work?

On Rivet, users can look for dates, play matchmaker for other people, or do both. Even those who are already coupled up or simply not looking to date can join as Matchers.

Potential pairs are presented to Matchers, who weigh in on whether they think the two could work together. Matchers are shown details such as personality traits, relationship intentions, interests and physical preferences without initially seeing the pair's names. According to the New York Post, they can also see an AI-generated visualisation of the two together.

The votes contribute to a Social Matching score, with high-scoring pairs introduced to each other.

The seemingly arranged setup still leaves the final decision with the daters. Each person independently decides whether they want to match and begin a conversation.

Why Let Strangers Pick Your Potential Dates?

Rivet's premise is that bringing other people into the process could surface connections that daters might otherwise overlook. The company says Social Matching brings together different people's perspectives to surface potential connections someone might otherwise swipe past on a conventional dating app.

Kapoor said dating apps succeeded in expanding people's dating pools, but argued there was a downside: the experience could become 'lonely' and 'overwhelming.'

In other words, perhaps your usual 'type' is not always the person you should be looking for — and someone looking in from the outside might spot a pairing you never would.

Rivet explains the idea behind its Social Matching approach in this video:

Playing Cupid Earns You 'Karma'

There is also something in it for the people doing the matching.

Rivet rewards Matchers with a virtual currency called Karma. The app's listing says users can earn Karma by matching other people and redeem it for real money, while it was reported that rewards can also include profile perks, direct introductions and gift cards.

So yes, there are bragging rights if a match you backed actually works out but potentially some tangible rewards, too.

Is Rivet Really a Modern Arranged Marriage?

Rivet's take on modern arranged dating comes with one important difference: the daters themselves remain in control. Rather than having a partner chosen for them, users receive potential introductions shaped by the collective judgement of other people.

Still, the idea of having others help find someone they think could suit you is hardly new. Kapoor described it simply, as quoted by the Los Angeles Times: 'Humans introducing humans is the oldest technology.'

Rivet effectively takes that age-old idea and puts a dating-app spin on it: strangers help narrow down the possibilities, but you still decide whether their suggestion deserves a chance.

Whether strangers really know your type better than you do is another question. But for singles tired of making every decision one swipe at a time, handing part of the selection process to a crowd could at least make online dating feel a little different.

Would you trust strangers to pick your next potential date — or would you rather keep the swiping in your own hands?