In the 1980s, the idea of computer-assisted dating was incredibly niche. But in 1988, Samsung predicted that the floppy disk would be an integral part of the future of romance. Even if the idea is presented with a bit of derision.
Samsung ran an advertising campaign in magazines and newspapers throughout 1988 telling readers that the future would be very different from the 1980s. But Samsung will still be there to help you with all your needs.
One of the Samsung campaign ads featured a blue floppy disk with the words “Date Disk, Single Women, Rochester, NY” written on it. The fine print described the disc’s contents as a comprehensive list for the Rochester metro area and listed a “$65 additional fee” for the nearby city of Elmira.
The text below Floppy’s photo reads: “How to meet women. 2025 AD”
Below that portion of the ad, a graphic displayed the Samsung brand and the text, “On the monitor you will meet them. 2025 AD.” The ad copy ended with “Samsung. The future of electronics.”
This particular ad appeared in the November 28, 1988 issue of New York magazine and may seem like a visionary idea. Today, we take it for granted that almost everyone looking for a romantic partner is willing to use apps, even if some remember the stigma that was attached to such a thing even 20 years ago. In the 2000s it was a little embarrassing to admit that you met your partner online.
How do we know Samsung was making fun of the idea of online dating? Other ads in the 1988 campaign were about ridiculous and impossible ideas for the future. These included a photo of Morton Downey, Jr., depicting him as a 2008 presidential candidate. Downey was a talk show host and star of “Trash TV” in the 1980s. Downey had an aggressive right-wing talk show, appeared at WrestleMania and starred in an episode of tales from the crypt,
From the perspective of 1988, Downey was an unlikely candidate to become president. Just as another ad for a Samsung series had little chance of being true. The advertisement predicted that steak would emerge as a health food by the year 2010.
Then again, in 1988 it was considered ridiculous. But we clearly know it wasn’t funny. Steak has actually become known as a health food in the 21st century, thanks to people like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his MHA movement.
And had Downey lived to run in 2020, he would no longer be viewed as a ridiculous presidential candidate. Indeed, when I described some of these Samsung ads for Smithsonian Magazine in 2013 I had no idea how silly our political future would become, writing:
The advertisement below ran in the October 1988 issue smithsonian Morton Downey Jr. was shown in the magazine with a cigarette out of his mouth. (Downey died of lung cancer in 2001.) The “Trash TV” pioneer appears in an ad as a presidential candidate in the year 2008 — a humorous idea in 1988, but perhaps less bizarre when you consider some recent presidential candidates.
As you’ll see, that link is Donald J. Leads to the Wikipedia page of Trump, who was still two years away from announcing his candidacy for president. I had no idea how strange things were about to get.
Online dating is totally normal here in 2025, even if Samsung might have poked fun at the idea a bit in 1988. Yes, there were some bulletin boards that people could use to look for love, but they were far from ideal. And if we can take anything away from this Samsung campaign, it’s that you can’t really rule out your most ridiculous idea for a future world. They often have a way of being true.