3.8.23 Busy, busy Adam

Nightline tweeted

twitter.com/Nightline/status/1633542638677942272

Nightline@Nightline

TONIGHT: @adamlambert sits down with @nightline Co-Anchor @byronpitts

I hadn’t known the app either, so did look it up. What I found is that it is an app that celebrities and the „upper class“ like to use, because not everyone can have a profile there. The makers of the App choose, who’s good enough for them. But it’s not about your money. To get a member, you need an invitation, either by another member or the app and you get accepted, when the Raya people think your Instagram profile, including followers matches their requirements/profile.

I don’t think Oliver or his family are rich. He just has some influencer friends and knows people in the fashion industry from his work. He then had a cute Instagram profile with enough followers. And most likely it also helped, that he’s gay. I bet the pool of homosexuals looking for partners is much smaller than the pool of heterosexuals.  

Edit: This is some info that I found about the App Raya  (on Vogu.de, translated by Google):

„Who's there: Actors, models, athletes, fashion creators...

Raya was founded in 2015 - and quickly became known as the "dating app for celebrities". Rumors that well-known faces like Cara Delevingne or Justin Bieber could be found there made the rounds early on. We won't reveal any names here, of course, but let's say this much: if you swipe on Raya, you'll see a lot of familiar faces pretty quickly. But there's a reason for that: The founders want to build an intimate community of creatives and "personalities who are passionate about their work and the world around them" - and that can happen with famous people who put a lot into their work, well often be the case. So it's not just famous actors you meet there, but interesting musicians, artists, politicians, athletes, journalists, creative directors, influencers or even professions that you didn't even know existed before. Examples of this? The funny influencer who entertains a few million people on Instagram with memes, the photographer who takes pictures for American Vogue or the soccer player who has just changed clubs for a very large sum. Raya should therefore be seen less as a dating app for celebrities and more as a very selected app that only includes people who – at least from the outside – appear to lead an interesting, passionate life. If you're just out for fame, you're in the wrong place.

2. How to become a member

There are many rumors about Raya because the app's community is a very small one, but all the more people want to get into it and are interested in it - one of the most persistent is that the selection process for who can become a member involves your number of followers on Instagram. That is not right. First of all: Raya is a private community, you have to "apply" to become a member. This application, in turn, is very simple: "Applicants" first need a secret code from an active member and are then asked to enter their name, profession and Instagram account. Who may be counted among the chosen ones is decided according to a procedure that is made up of different components. An algorithm that not much is known about shows how attractive someone is to the community and what connections that someone already has to the existing community. Let's put it this way: While it's not a bad thing to only have a few hundred Instagram followers, it's definitely a positive if you have a few blue-tick followers among them. However, this algorithm is only part of the decision-making process. Another important part is that an anonymous committee made up of current Raya users looks at the applications. The committee only sees a photo, name, profession and the name of the Instagram account. Committee members then usually look through the Instagram account and decide if there is an interesting person behind it that they would like to see in the Raya community. Anyone who thinks this is superficial: External attractiveness is not everything, just as little as follower numbers.

3. How it works

Raya's "swiping" is divided into two functions: "social" and "work". The social area is about dating and getting to know each other, while the work area is actually about professional contacts. Although one thing doesn't exclude the other: Who says, for example, that you couldn't work together with the photographer you met via the social function and won as a friend? Or that you can't find the creative director you meet in the work area more interesting? The Work feature is relatively new to Raya - it's only been around since early 2017. According to the structure, each Raya member also creates two profiles - whereby the profile is limited to a slideshow of photos, a song and data such as name, age and Instagram account. A more creative, much more beautifully designed profile style than other typical dating and socializing apps. Raya does not select the profiles that are displayed to users based on their location. So it can be that, even if you are in Berlin, for example, users from Los Angeles or New York are mainly suggested to you - borders only exist to a limited extent in the world of the Raya community. The creators keep a low profile on how exactly the algorithm suggests users to each other, but of course it doesn't happen by chance. Because your own Raya profile is connected to your own Instagram account, it is only logical that common acquaintances, interests and places are derived from this. Of course, there are only contact options if both "like" each other and if contact is made within a week. Raya users just don't have time to waste...“

WOW, you really researched this. Thank you for the info. I only came up with a webpag for it that said dating for the rich looking for serious relationships. I actually find it a bit said that everything is becoming so digital. I feel like the world is moving into a SciFi movie. There was a TV show on Netflix (I think) called Black Mirror a few years ago. One of the episodes dealt with influencers and likes. Life became based on how many  likes you had. Of course, in Adam's case, or someone in Adam's situation, how would  you date? Must be difficult. I wonder if Oliver is working remotely or something for the company he was with while in school.

Does anyone know what Oliver does for work?