Our social lives have gone so digital that human contact has become passé. We’re so attached to our phones, plugged into the Interweb and running around that we forget to take time for actual human contact. It’s no wonder dating has become like “Candy Crush” as Tinder’s made it easy for you to get a little strange in a time-efficient way. The new web series “Swipe Click Bang” brings levity, humor and an unabashed look at our new mobile macking-place.
Gay men have always been on the bleeding edge of hooking up. From the hanky code to hookup apps, they’ve always known the best ways to get it on. Like with gentrification, these urban and hook-up pioneers pave the way for well meaning Yuppies to do exactly that. Tinder gives tech savvy urbanites the chance to have as much sex as “The Golden Girls” … of “Sex and the City.” Now with Tinder, well-meaning straight people get a glimpse into the sordid world of no-strings attached, awkward hasty STD conversations and intimacy with strangers.
The genius of “Swipe Click Bang” is it explores the pathos and the passion of hooking up with a total stranger. Each episode focuses on a new couple as they take a quick jaunt to pound town. Whether the skittish beginning, the uncomfortable-yet-titillating act or the painful exit interview, no moment is off-limits for this smart series. It uses amazing audio to explore every awkward sound, loaded silence or yelp of passion.
Read more: Is There Room for Intimacy in the Digital Age?
Writer, director and actor Michael Sasso told Nerve.com that he was inspired by real stories from hook-up culture. It’s an often experienced but not talked about part of our lives. It’s so easy that it will inevitably happen to you or yours. Sasso says he was inspired by the critically acclaimed series “In Treatment.” Like the HBO therapy drama, “Swipe Click Bang” feels like vignettes stolen from real life. The creators manage to find the depth and intimacy of what is usually considered a superficial interaction. The genius writing, editing and performances show the true emotional impact, humor and shitty experiences that happen when you meet some random trick on your phone.
For a web series, it has some pretty amazing production value. To ground the randomness of these interactions, you need to have a strong sense of realism. Whether it’s the strange sounds, outrageous responses or longwinded attempts to explain away the weird this show just feels weird. Think part MTV’s “Undressed” (remember that??) and part “Girls” with absolutely no naked Lena Dunham. There’s the good, bad and completely horrid in the types of people you may end up in bed with. But finally there’s an open dialogue of the dark side of “getting it in.”
Read more: 10 Tips for Staying Classy While Having Casual Sex
As we become more and more callous, cold, and dead inside while we check our texts and surf the mobile web, our wants and needs won’t change. This series forces you to examine these often superficial interactions through the lens of sensitivity, intimacy, and emotional availability. At least even if it isn’t a match, you’re able to really give it the proper amount of thought and contemplation.
“Swipe Click Bang” is not just a timely take on Tinder. It’s a commentary on how romance, sex, and our hunt for human intimacy has changed. You can get a fact in five milliseconds or a hot meal in a half an hour, but this series proves that you may be able to have instant sex but it will be about as gratifying as a frozen meal.
Watch the trailer:
Christian Cintron is a contributing journalist for TheBlot Magazine.
