At the end of last year, social media was flooded with #2015BestNine posts—collages of the top nine posts on an individual’s Instagram account. But it turns out the trend was actually a secret marketing ploy by new dating app Nine. The 100,000 people who used the online generators to create the collages were asked to sign up on a waiting list for an upcoming service, and became the first users of the platform. The app uses the collages as individuals’ profile pictures in hopes of connecting people based on “inner-beauty” and “personality,” instead of snap judgments of selfies. (Tech Insider)
