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Sure, you know how to swap meishi with one new acquaintance, but what about twenty new acquaintances?

Exchanging cards is one of the fundamentals of meeting new people in the business world. Of course, Japan’s culture surrounding meishi (the Japanese word for business cards) is often described as taking things a step (or two…or three…) further, but there’s no doubt that professionals the world over place quite a bit of importance on trading their business cards.

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When it’s just you and a new acquaintance, things aren’t too difficult, but as the number of people involved grows, it seems like things get exponentially more difficult. If you take a step back and watch groups of people all exchanging meishi, it can end up looking like a swarm of insects bumping wildly into each other!

And we’re not the only ones to notice — the creators of the business card app Eight have taken things to the extreme with a new video that simultaneously lampoons and idealizes this scene. In it, increasingly larger groups of people spin, twirl, and basically dance their way through the exchange of business cards in clothes designed to evoke a near-future world.

▼ But is it a utopian world…or dystopian?

And soon we’ve watched a group of twenty people, composed of people of various nationalities, perform the kind of meishi-exchange dance that wouldn’t look out of place at a Juillard recital. But we’re not done yet! For the final act, the video cuts to a line of 100 people, all of them looking entirely uncertain about what’s going to happen next.

▼ “Okay, 20 people I could manage, but this is ridiculous!”

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And that’s when it’s time for Eight to make its appearance. Sadly, that means we don’t get to see 100 people perform a magical meishi dance, but we suppose it’s all for the best — that could turn into a Human Centipede kind of mess really quick.

As for what Eight actually is, well, it’s literally just an app for  exchanging and storing business cards, though there does seem to be some chat and other functions to add to your contact-information-gathering experience. To be honest, we’re not sure why people don’t just use something like LinkedIn at that point, but at least there’s a free option!

And once you get done with all that dancing and exchanging business cards, you’ll probably want a snack to replenish your energy. In that case, may we suggest some literally golden french fries from McDonald’s? They probably won’t fill your belly, but they might help you attract more business cards!

Sources: PR Wire, YouTube/Eight
Images: YouTube/Eight