Ep #5: History Of Lonely Hearts Ads (Internet Killed The Newspaper Star)

Before the surefire practice of skulling 10 Buzzballs and firing off a round of lustful, yet regrettable, Instagram DMs, humans turned to print media to seek companionship, financial security, and necessities of the flesh. Lonely hearts ads have been around since the late 17th century; however, the art of seeking connections via your local newspaper's personal section was ever-evolving. What started as a practical and relatively impersonal way to seek marriage candidates from similar social and financial standings eventually became a safe place to discuss kink, sexuality, and unmet needs over the course of hundreds of years. Join us as we investigate how Lonely Hearts ads evolved as the world underwent massive societal shifts, and how unfettered internet access was the final knife in the back of this lost art. "Penny Press", Robert McNamara, ThoughtCo."Body Dug Up on Guinness Farm is That of Bugsberg.", The Austin- American Statesman, 1908Classified: The Secret History of the Personal Column, H. Cocks"From the battlefield, lonely WWI soldiers found love using newspaper personal ads", Stephanie Buck"A Brief History of Personal Ads", John Young, Owlcation