A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels

Grindr真的已经死了吗?
Is Grindr Dead? Ads, Rent Hikes and the gAI Chatbot Driving Users Away
About this story
Why longtime Grindr users say the app is dead — EDGE paywalls, intrusive ads and the gAI chatbot replacing real chat. HSK 3 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 3-4 Chinese listening episode that runs about 7 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 15 key vocabulary words such as 讨论、改变、广告 and walks through 5 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.
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原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
Speaking of the famous dating app Grindr, recently many people have been discussing whether it is already failing.
This is an app designed specifically for gay men, and it used to be very popular.
In the past, if you wanted to meet guys living near you, all you had to do was open this app.
It changed the way people make friends and date, making everything very simple.
But now, the situation has changed significantly.
Many old users feel that the current Grindr is like a "ghost town" with no inhabitants.
Why does everyone have this feeling?
First, let's look at the app's current environment.
When you open your phone wanting to see if there is anyone around, what you see first is often not people, but advertisements.
The quantity of advertisements is simply too much.
Sometimes, you have to watch ads for a long time before you can see the content you want to see.
This makes many users feel very annoyed.
Besides ads, there is an even more serious problem, which is bots.
The bots mentioned here are not real robots, but computer programs.
These programs will pretend to be real people and send you messages.
When you see a handsome photo and think someone is interested in you, actually that might just be a program.
These bots not only waste your time but sometimes also scam you out of your money.
Therefore, many users who want to find real people now feel very disappointed.
Because of these reasons, many real people have left this app.
This has led to a vicious cycle.
The fewer real people there are, the more bots there seem to be, and the less people want to use it.
Recently, the company Grindr made a decision that made everyone even more dissatisfied.
They announced a new subscription plan called EDGE.
This plan charges five hundred dollars a month.
Everyone was shocked when they heard this price.
Five hundred dollars is not a small amount of money.
This is almost equivalent to half a month's or even a full month's rent for many people.
If you use this five hundred dollars, you could actually do many other things.
You could go eat at a very good restaurant, travel to another city, or buy lots of nice clothes.
So, why spend so much money on a dating app?
The company explained that this plan includes a lot of new technology.
Especially since they used the currently popular artificial intelligence technology.
They even gave this technology an interesting name, called "gAI".
However, we need to think seriously: do we really need artificial intelligence when looking for a date?
Dating should be a matter between two people, an interaction between human and human.
If we need to rely on computers to tell us how to speak and how to make friends, isn't that very strange?
Many users feel that the company has complicated a simple matter.
What everyone actually wants is very simple: a clean, easy-to-use platform.
Everyone hopes that when they open the app, they can see real people and chat conveniently.
But the company doesn't seem to understand this point.
They spent a lot of money and time researching artificial intelligence and researching how to collect more money.
But they didn't spend time solving the problems of ads and bots.
This is like going to a restaurant to eat; you just want a simple bowl of noodles.
But the boss insists on recommending a very expensive new dish to you and wants to perform a show for you.
Although it looks very high-class, this is not what you want.
So, this huge discrepancy has made the relationship between users and the company very tense.
Besides the problems with the app itself, we also have to look at changes in the social environment.
More than ten years ago, homosexuality was relatively hidden in society.
At that time, people didn't dare to show it in public places.
So, everyone relied heavily on apps like Grindr to meet similar people.
At that time, this app was everyone's only choice.
But now, the world has changed.
Especially in many big cities, society has become increasingly open and inclusive.
Gay culture has slowly become a part of mainstream culture.
People can be themselves more freely in life.
You can meet new friends at work, at the gym, or at parties.
Since you can meet people in real life too, why tolerate so many ads?
This has reduced everyone's demand for this app.
In addition, Grindr is not the only app on the market anymore.
Many new apps have appeared.
These new apps usually have cleaner interfaces, fewer ads, and value user experience more.
If something is not easy to use, people will naturally choose something else.
This is the principle of market competition.
So, when we ask "Is Grindr dead?", we are actually discussing two aspects.
On one hand, the app has become hard to use and is full of annoying things.
On the other hand, our lifestyle has changed, and we don't need it as much as before.
Although many people are still using this app, that lively feeling that "everyone is using it" is gone.
For many old users, that simple, direct, and easy-to-use Grindr has disappeared.
The current Grindr is more like a machine trying every possible way to make money.
It has forgotten its original purpose, which is to help people get to know each other.
If this company cannot change their attitude and cannot truly listen to user opinions,
Then, more and more people will leave.
Finally, it might really turn into an empty shell where only bots are talking.
For a tech company, this is indeed a lesson worth pondering.
No matter how advanced the technology is, if human needs are forgotten, it will not succeed in the end.
Young people today prefer real, simple ways of communication.
They are unwilling to spend five hundred dollars a month for an app full of bots.
This is not just a matter of money, but also a matter of respect.
I hope other software developers can also understand this principle.
After all, technology should serve people, not make people feel troubled.
These are some observations and analyses regarding Grindr's current status.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇A common verb meaning to talk about a specific topic. Often used as '讨论 + topic'.
Can be used as a verb (to alter something) or a noun (a shift in situation).
Standard term for commercials or ads. Measure word is usually '个' (gè) or '则' (zé).
Describes a feeling of being bothered or mentally troubled by a problem.
Used to describe the feeling when expectations are not met. '对...感到失望' (feel disappointed in...).
Specific term for money paid to rent living space.
To make something clear or give a reason for something.
Refers to the exchange of ideas, culture, or conversation between people.
Refers to the way someone handles a situation or treats others.
General term for computer software or mobile applications. HSK 5 word.
Specific term for same-sex attraction or a gay person.
Literally 'machine person'. In this context, it refers to automated computer programs (bots).
An idiom describing a situation where one problem causes another, which then worsens the first problem.
Technical term. '人工' means man-made/artificial, '智能' means intelligence.
To tolerate, forgive, or include different types of people/ideas. HSK 6 word.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法This structure is used to reject one possibility and affirm another. It translates to "not... but...".
你首先看到的往往不是人,而是广告。
这里说的机器人,不是真正的机器人,而是电脑程序。
Indicates that something was created specifically for a certain person or purpose. "Specially designed for...".
这是一个专门为男同性恋设计的软件。
Indicates a progressive change where one factor changes in proportion to another. "The more..., the more...".
真的人越少,机器人就显得越多,大家就越不想用。
Used to present a rhetorical question based on a premise that is already accepted. "Since/Now that..., why...?"
既然在现实生活中也能认识人,为什么还要忍受那么多广告呢?
Expresses that the result remains the same regardless of the condition. "No matter how..., (result) is still...".
无论技术多么先进,如果忘记了人的需求,最后是不会成功的。
Proper Nouns
专有名词Sources
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