Adoption is hard for a reason — what with the whole being responsible for another person thing. But what if there was a better way that saves you time and money, like an infomercial! That’s exactly what the Adoptly adoption app promised when it launched a Kickstarter in early January. By swiping right, prospective parents would be able to connect with “adoptable kids” nearby, and even customize their “search criteria” based on gender, age, ethnicity, and distance. So basically Tinder, but for babies. And how could that possibly be an affront to human life?
After raising $4,000 of their $150,000 goal on Kickstarter, the campaign was abruptly shut down on January 2o. As The Verge reported, it wasn’t just because it’s a terrible idea. It was because it wasn’t real to begin with. The creators Ben Becker and Elliot Glass were the brains behind the fake app Pooper (aka Uber for dog poop). And after they tricked several news outlets into legitimately reporting that last July, you should’ve smelled this coming. According to Becker and Glass, the “ongoing art project” is yet another attempt to satirize tech-obsessed culture, and to see what they could get away with. What’s next, GrubHub for breastmilk? Well played, guys. Well played.
[H/T] The Verge