For many, dating has become increasingly complex, but one woman has stepped up to help make finding that special someone easier for her brother.
Kira Ziff, from Los Angeles, California, offered her newly single brother, Alec, a helping hand on his quest to find love by encouraging women online to apply for a date with him.
The digital marketing professional shared a short clip of her 29-year-old brother on TikTok on June 17, stating that he "works in finance" and "has a trust fund." The video unexpectedly surpassed 1.2 million views in just days, prompting Ziff to create an online application for singles who want to date her brother.
By June 21, nearly 3,000 women had applied and the siblings' story had become a viral sensation.
"I never actually thought it would turn into what it has, but I now have about 3,000 potential sisters-in-law, and I cannot wait to meet them," Ziff told Newsweek. "My brother had no idea that I was making the video. He called me a few hours after I posted it to say that he's randomly gotten a ton of new followers online.
"The first video continued to blow up and we now currently have 2,964 applicants hoping to date my brother, with new ones rolling in every day from all over the world."
The hopeful singles are sharing their occupations, interests and even their intentions with Ziff's Colorado-based brother, known online as @alecziff. Although he first graced his sister's TikTok account, @hotgirlscry, last week, he's already been on a few dates with some of the early applicants.
"He's also messaging a few others and sending them to me to fact-check on the form," Ziff said. "It's been a very fun bonding experience for us both, and I think that's been the best part of it all!"
Ziff, the chief executive officer of Social Disrupt, jokingly labels her vision "bagging another sister-in-law" and is taking her new role as matchmaker seriously.
The marketing whiz applied her professional skills to her online hunt for a new family member by logging all the applicants in a detailed spreadsheet. From there, Ziff has been working to find the most suitable match for her brother, by assessing the applicants' personalities.
"The application form was more of a last-minute idea once the video started blowing up," Ziff said. "Once we hit about 50,000 views, I was like, 'What if we took this a step further and actually let girls apply?' I created and had the form up within three minutes and asked my mom about what questions we should include."
Viewers of Ziff's first video about her single brother were able to see a short montage of him that played against the viral "Man In Finance" song. The trending tune is often the background sound for social media reels about attractive, eligible men or singles seeking love.
Ziff's follow-up post from June 21 captured her looking into the camera with a shocked expression on her face.
An overlaid text on the video read: "POV [Point of view]: You post a video of your brother and 2,000 women fill out an application to date him."
"I'll be happy with just getting one match on Tinder," one viewer, @jorberts23, commented.
Another TikTok user, @ashleybrantleyxx, wrote: "I need other sisters to start doing the same thing because the dating apps aren't working."
"Alec is not on TikTok, so he has no idea about social media trends and thinks this is all 'absolutely bananas,'" Ziff said.
Dating has become increasingly difficult for U.S. singles due to the overwhelming array of choices presented to them on dating apps and ongoing economic challenges.
With so many potential matches just a swipe away, individuals often struggle with decision fatigue and the fear of missing out on a better option. Economic uncertainties, such as student loan debt and housing affordability, add pressure to form financially stable partnerships, complicating one's quest for genuine connections.
But things are looking up for Ziff's brother.
"The response has been incredible," she said. "The ladies in the comments have been loving it, and men want me to make videos about them, too.
"Somebody even suggested that I turn my account into a matchmaking service," she added.
Ziff is so impressed by the viral status of her brother's search for a partner that she is now using the series of videos and their aftermath as case studies for her clients.
To up the ante and land a sister-in-law faster, the marketing professional is considering narrowing the selection process by running interviews—but before that, she has her eyes set on getting her internet-famous brother on prime-time television.
"My ultimate goal with the video now is to either land my brother a position on The Bachelor or get brands to sponsor his dates and turn it into a dating series," she said. "Of course, he doesn't know that this is the plan and I am updating him as it goes, but it would be so funny."
Ziff's plans may not be as ambitious as they sound. A casting director approached her brother about the ABC show a few years ago.
"There is potential," she said.
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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