Spoonr (formerly Cuddlr) was a social-meeting application where strangers who lived within walking distance from each other could meet up for casual, platonic

cuddling A hug is a form of endearment, found in virtually all human communities, in which two or more people put their arms around the neck, back, under the armpits or waists of one another and hold each other closely. If more than two people are invo ...

Overview

Users could send nearby prospective cuddle partners an invitation to cuddle, which the fellow users could either choose to accept or decline within 60 minutes. The application provided real-time walking directions to cuddle partners, allowing them to meet up, either in a private or public setting. It was claimed the

Tinder Tinder is easily Combustibility and flammability, combustible material used to Firemaking, start a fire. Tinder is a finely divided, open material which will begin to glow under a shower of sparks. Air is gently wafted over the glowing tinder unt ...

of cuddling. Unlike

, the age of all users (and, potentially, gender) was omitted. Additionally, users were rated by previous cuddle partners according to their cuddling techniques and spooning preferences, their communication skills, and their ability to respect boundaries. These ratings, which acted as a safety measure, were then made available to all Spoonr users.

History

Cuddlr was launched on September 18, 2014. The app was co-founded by Charlie Williams, an American who now lives and operates out of England. Williams, a software engineer and founder of Charlie Roberts Williams Ltd., previously helped develop Shazam, a popular application that offers music identification services. Williams studied at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

in the United States and at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in the United Kingdom. The concept behind the application is said to have started as a joke at a dinner party and was further developed once a need for such an app was identified. Cuddlr's design was overseen by co-founder Jeff Kulak, a Montreal-based graphic designer and illustrator. Its media relations were managed by co-founder Damon Brown who operates out of Las Vegas and is a professional speaker, business coach, and author of twenty-five books. Brown has a Masters in Magazine Publishing from

and sat on the board of the

American Society of Journalists and Authors The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) was founded in 1948 as the Society of Magazine Writers, and is the professional association of independent nonfiction writers in the United States. History The organization was established in ...

. As of March 16, 2015, Cuddlr reported that it shut down, stating "Cuddlr closes up shop and wishes you all the best". In September 2015 Cuddlr was acquired by Hiplex LLC, an

NYC New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive wit ...

-based company, and rebranded as Spoonr. As of January 2017, Spoonr has officially shut down.

Reception

Cuddlr has been featured on Tech Times, ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...

'',

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

, and more. It hit the Apple App Store top 10 twice: In September 2014 and in January 2015, shortly after it was featured on the cover of the Wall Street Journal. Approximately a quarter million users joined Cuddlr at its peak. The application has been subject to numerous critiques. According to Alex Sevigny, a Canadian communications expert at

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...

, for

CBC Hamilton CBC Hamilton is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's digital-only local news operation serving the city of Hamilton, Ontario, which launched on May 9, 2012. The operation currently consists of a Hamilton-focused section within the national CBC.ca ...

, the app commodified intimacy and made a private activity public. Kate Bellamy, a journalist from Metro News UK, criticized the app for encouraging people to disrespect

personal boundaries Personal boundaries or the act of setting boundaries is a Life skills, life skill that has been popularized by self help authors and support groups since the mid-1980s. Personal boundaries are established by changing one's own response to interp ...

, which could supposedly potentially affect the lives of non-users as well.

UWIRE UWIRE is an American wire service for student journalists at more than 800 colleges and universities across the United States. It acts as a sort of hub between these institutions' newspapers, giving each of its over 850 members access to news, sp ...

wrote that only people desperate for human touch would turn to technology to fulfill this human need with a stranger, and that, therefore, the application was supposedly unsafe.

References

{{reflist Geosocial networking Mobile social software 2014 software Online dating applications

Overview

History

Reception

See also

References