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How To Stop Re-Downloading Your Dating Apps
It won’t be different this time.
When I first heard that Bumble’s big selling point was women messaging first, I couldn’t put my finger on why I hated that. Now I can. Bumble made online dating even easier for straight men, a cohort of humans who were already flipping through women like vinyl records in a vintage shop. Just browsing, no intention to purchase. Dating apps were now making it effortless — for them. Of course I’m just picking on Bumble because I find this trait particularly abhorrent, but there’s no dating app out there that’s any better. They’re all for-profit businesses that make more money the longer their users remain single. They are not on your team, they don’t care if you ever “find love,” and in fact the further they keep you from it, the more money they make. A month on Bumble costs $39.99. My book is 24 dollars cheaper.
I started using dating apps with sincerity in the very early 00s, back when they were still seen as weird and sketchy and “omg why would you go meet a stranger what if he kills you” was the concern of the day. Funny how just a couple years later those same concerned friends who just “can’t believe you’re still single!” would strongly suggest I give dating apps a try. As with anyone born in the early 80s, I’ve been at the crest of the wave. I was among the first teens to ever use the internet, and the first young adults to ever use dating apps. I don’t know about you but I’m tired of this guinea pig shit.
One thing I’ve noticed, as someone who has witnessed the birth and maturation of dating apps over time, is that initially, they were asking for a lot of information regarding our preferences. They were actually putting effort into “matching” people. Now, all you have to do is upload photos and indicate where you physically are in this moment and suddenly everyone within a 25 mile radius could potentially be your fucking husband. If they’re not currently someone else’s fucking husband. The dating industry has stopped putting effort into actually matching people based on compatibilities because that results in fewer people needing their services. Dating apps are now a giant ocean of humans floating around and you’re here trying to catch a grain of sand in the water with every swipe.
