Mobile comp group

The “business” of dating apps is weird. You have to sell the idea of helping someone find their forever person, but, in reality, a free user quickly finding a long-term relationship is bad for business. So you need to gatekeep the most desirable matches. Limits on swipes, attractive folks in “stand out” sections, etc. Oh, you want to chat with more attractive folks? Pay $20. And then you want these repeat customers to keep coming back. Instead of helping someone find their person, feed them a steady stream of attractive options. Gamify it. Guys get addicted to seeing how many girls they can match and go out with. Girls are addicted the attention they receive from attractive suitors. You had a great first date? Cool. But you have 7 more potential first dates waiting. What if one is marginally hotter/smarter/more charismatic? When you have a near-infinite stream of constant options, “what if” scenarios prevent you from fulling engaging with any one person. You go on a date, get home, and schedule 4 more. And when you meet someone on an app, it dehumanizes them a bit. They’re one of many people on apps. Easily replaceable. You take them less seriously. Every first date is job interview-adjacent because there’s no prior spark to build from. It’s unnatural. If you meet someone at school, work, a coffee shop, the bar, church, or somewhere else live, you get the spark FIRST, then build off that in a date. Dating apps are transactional. “I find you hot and your metrics hit my requirements, you think the same.” People are no longer people, they’re six photos and a couple of prompts. But that’s a feature, not a flaw. They make money from the idea of finding a relationship, not from making it happen.