What Serial Daters and Matchmakers Alike Think We Should Do About Our Dating Crisis

The singles of today's dating horticulture are not happy. A vast majority of young people report they're burned out by app dating, and many are also struggling to date IRL. Even with the bevy of options and tools we have abetted around dating, singles from their 20s to their 40s told me that finding meaningful, long-term relationships is becoming harder than ever. There's no one reason, but a culmination of many factors that result in the current perilous state of modern courtship: A loneliness epidemic has been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic, which has led to poor socializing skills, and there's a surplus of unvetted suitors that the major dating apps like Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble push onto users while hiding their most authentic matches behind a paywall. Serious intention is also seriously lacking in today's climate.