So… how’d you two meet? How we became obsessed with the love stories of strangers

If there’s one thing defining the internet right now, it’s people talking to strangers on the street and putting it online. Take one look at TikTok or Instagram and you’ll soon find any number of clips in which a chirpy person approaches a less chirpy person on a busy street and asks an intrusive question. The less chirpy person either tells them to “f*** off”, invites them in to have a tour around their home, or, more likely, responds with some sort of transcendent anecdote that alters the way you think and feel about yourself and possibly also the world.

For the most part, these videos are nauseating viewing. A symptom of our , they offer little more than a way to pass the time while sitting on) is a hugely popular Instagram account bringing real-life romance to our screens via short-form videos sharing the love stories of strangers.