Dating Apps are Dead

Dating apps have turned modern courtship into a type of commodified game, and people are becoming wiser to it - people are realizing that THEY ARE the characters being played in the game. 

The sense of excess afforded through dating apps have led to negative comparison and lack of commitment - people are starting to feel objectified, like they are items in a store, everyone is replaceable, if you don't like this one you simply swipe to the next. The “pique” of dating apps is behind us and people are looking at other ways to connect that dating apps fail to provide. There are still certain functions that dating apps work for (like casual hookups), but its not the same as it once was.

The problem with dating apps that people are realising is that it filters risk - in that you don't meet the real person until later on. It doesn't allow for an authentic real-time representation of that person. We are seeing people wasting less time on meaningless interactions and prioritising authenticity and emotional connection - people are joining run clubs to meet real people, instead of dating apps people are using date-me docs to avoid dating app misrepresentation, “dry dating” is becoming a trend where prospective partners hold off on drunk first dates because they are thirsty for real connection.

People are looking to create dating situations where there's no buffer to hide, you can't spend your time curating and considering how you might respond to someone - it's there and in the moment, uninhibited by apps. That is the authentic experience people are looking for. And its through these authentic experiences that real connections are made.

Will dating apps be obsolete, probably not. They still serve a function. But that function is shifting.