Dating in my Late Twenties: My Battle Plan to Make My Meet-Cutes Happen Part 2

As previously discussed, I have looked into using a dating service, where they act as matchmakers between their members, and I have been attending singles events organized by different groups. The former I will not consider plausible for me at this time, while the latter has been pretty decent and sometimes fun. To expand my dating horizon I can additionally use a dating app, join a club, or try to meet someone organically while out in public. I might be stretching myself thin using most of these options, but considering how I like to give a chance to anything that sounds appealing, I do not mind being all over the place.

That being said, I have an absolute hatred for dating apps, and I hope I never have to use one ever again. For the past 4 years, I have been on and off different types of dating apps, and it feels like as time goes on, the experience is becoming worse. If I try a new dating app, its method of connection seems ingenious, but its participation is small or filled with bots. If I use one with a larger platform, then I have more options to choose from, but most features are trapped behind a paywall.

If that were the only issue, then maybe I wouldn’t mind dropping a payment here and there, because a free service does need some kind of monetary compensation to keep what it is providing for free. The thing with popular dating apps, though, is that it feels like its algorithms are predatory and nothing but an illusion. They might have started as useful systems to bring me closer to a match, but now it feels like I have a carrot tied to a stick held above my head - so close to my reach, but never actually attainable.

I have legit felt my self-esteem and motivation plummet just from using the apps. To make matters worse, they are addicting too, feeding this desire to continuously swipe, because if I keep going, I am bound to find my match, right?

Dating apps are a vicious cycle of having its user hold tightly onto hope, but never providing the satisfaction of a genuine connection. To those who have found their forever partner by using a dating app, I am glad for your happiness and success. May many more people find themselves in your position, but for now, it feels like these types of situations are rare and few.

The outfit I wore in this post is categorized under my Academia Aesthetic. Layered under my Fifth Element t-shirt is a black, long-sleeve turtleneck, and both tops were tucked in to give off a cropped look. Worn for the bottoms are grey, plaid pants, and for footwear I have on black Vans. I forgot to wear a belt that day, but if I could go back in time, I would wear a black, thin belt to match the rest of the fit.