this post was submitted on 23 Apr 2026
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They got a lot worse over the years, and they're exist to extract money, not to provide a service to its users.

top 38 comments
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[–] Rednax@lemmy.world 4 points 2 hours ago

If you are in one of the supported locations, I can recommend Breeze. Via Breeze you can't chat after matching. Instead you get a date planner in front of you. You pay for actual dates, meaning the app wants you to go on dates, since that is what gives them money. Cancelling dates is penalized via badges on your profile, and less priority in the algorithm. Hence, swiping right is a serious action, even more so than a message on the more serious sites. You also get a limited amount of profiles per day (around 5 to 10 or so), so you don't get lost in swiping sessions. And yes, you do get dates with people who you really don't click with. But the hour or two spend having a drink are still less of a waste of energy than chatting for 2 weeks to come to the same conclusion.

[–] jtrek@startrek.website 8 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I feel like if you're not going to use an app, you should focus on real life. Join meetups. Join a local sports team. Posting on a forum isn't going to be more effective than that.

[–] AskewLord@piefed.social -2 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (1 children)

lots of people have active social lives and still find zero dating opportunities. usually because the people they would find attractive, are not involved in those social activities.

I've never met an attractive woman in any meetup, sports even, hobby, or volunteering thing I have ever done. I met lots of them via dating apps though, and those women think my meetups, sports, hobbies, and volunteering are stupid and unattractive.

hell, back when i was active on reddit years ago, i regularly random PMs from women who were interested in me there.

IRL I get absolutely nothing except the occasional random weirdo woman who approaches me at a bar and starts telling me what stupid jerk I am for reading books or having a cat and then acts butthurt I don't want to bang her after she has 'bantered' with me.

And I'm not alone in that. Most of my single male friends and my single female friends, are living in totally different universes and they have zero interest in each other. Most of them either don't date at all, or are perpetually chasing the wrong people who treat them like crap, or are hung up on some ex from years ago.

[–] jtrek@startrek.website 7 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

I’ve never met an attractive woman in any meetup, sports even, hobby, or volunteering thing I have ever done.

This sounds extremely implausible. Those activities should have a wide, fairly random, selection of attractiveness. Sports might favor people more physically fit, which is positively correlated with common ideas of attractiveness.

Maybe you're using some non-standard or idiosyncratic standard of attractive?

I get absolutely nothing except the occasional random weirdo woman who approaches me at a bar and starts telling me what stupid jerk I am for reading books or having a cat

On the other hand, maybe you live in hell?

[–] Crozekiel@lemmy.zip 1 points 7 minutes ago

Self-created incel-hell it sounds like...

[–] AskewLord@piefed.social 0 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

The attractive people involved are already coupled.

physical fitness has nothing to do with attractiveness. lots of unattractive people are super fit, and lots of attractive people are unfit.

I live in a city full of wealthy entitled people, who think they are superior to others by birthright and what college they went to, and who won't talk to you if you don't work for a fortune 500 company.

[–] CapuccinoCoretto@lemmy.world 8 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

Online dating is a bit of a misnomer. It's not dating. It allows people to optimize selection based on superficiality, and stops anyone from from getting to know anyone. It's also high stakes because arranged meets with matches are purpose driven.

Put it down. Turn it off. Go do something you love and meet people. All sorts of people. Have fun, casually. Somewhere in there, you'll find someone special.

(Not directed to you OP, just online daters in general)

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 9 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

One small problem: Almost no third places in my local area.

[–] CapuccinoCoretto@lemmy.world 4 points 7 hours ago

Choices abound. Make one, move, stretch your legs a bit?

[–] 13igTyme@piefed.social 5 points 7 hours ago

A hobby is the best way to meet someone.

[–] AskewLord@piefed.social 2 points 6 hours ago

it doesn't exist anymore.

apps took over in the mid 2010s. dating websites only really were popular before smart phones.

[–] Grail@multiverse.soulism.net 9 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

I met My current partner online while I was using magic to heal a dragon. Happy to tell the full story if anyone's curious.

[–] CapuccinoCoretto@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

Yah, you're not walking away from that so casually. Gimme the story in 300 words or less. ;)

Edit. Never mind. I saw the post right after. Thanks for sharing.

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

One small problem: even back then I wasn't too much into MMOs, and nowadays even the online third places are being enshittified. Gone the days of monthly subscription fees, nowadays we have pay2win elements (or at least gacha waifus) instead.

[–] Grail@multiverse.soulism.net 2 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Didn't happen in a video game

[–] greendog@lemmy.zip 3 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Then I definitely want to know the story! Larping?

[–] Grail@multiverse.soulism.net 2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

I used to be the owner of a dragon with DID. Dissociative Identity Disorder. The one where your mind splits from trauma. Xis name was Xe. Xe had a rich world in headspace, which is the imagined world where different alters can exist physically at the same time. Xe was very feral, fully a wild animal. Some part of the childhood trauma had broken off Xe's intelligence and put it in xis human alter, Henk. Henk and I were friends.

Xe and I were close for a few months, but after a lot of drama involving an evil goat and questions of consent, our relationship became quite strained. I asked for some space from Xe, and when I came back, xis entire headspace was covered by a black corrosive fog. Only a small imagined area was safe. Protip: physical disturbances in headspace are nearly always allegories for emotional disturbances in the mind.

Fortunately, I'm a wizard, and I know how to treat DID problems. I spoke with Henk, and learned that the fog was a manifestation of Henk's guilt for hurting Xe in the past. Henk's guilt was choking the entire system and hurting everyone. And I knew the cure had to be an allegory for Xe's forgiveness. But Xe wasn't capable of talking, let alone expressing a complex idea like forgiveness. So it was time for some magic.

I shapeshifted into a dragon of the same species as Xe, stood up, and breathed fire on the fog. Xe took the cue, and joined in. Both of us flaming up the corrosive fog. Honestly, Xe was doing all the work. Xe burned back the fire, and saved everyone in the headspace.

And all this happened on Xe's discord server. A friend of xis, a shark named Ivy, saw it all go down through text chat and roleplay. And fell in love with the cool astral adventurer who had healed its friend.

We've been together for over 4 years now.

[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 14 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

Do it like I did to find my wife:

  1. Have an instructor with a popular blog.
  2. Have her take a picture that makes you look like a young Meatloaf.
  3. Start your own offshoot blog.
  4. Post a lewd xkcd comic and ask for a participant for reenactment.
  5. Meet the participant.
  6. Mary the participant.
  7. Profit
[–] BagOfHeavyStones@piefed.social 8 points 7 hours ago (1 children)
[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 5 points 7 hours ago

Damn, accidentally doxxed my wife.

[–] unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de 17 points 11 hours ago (3 children)

You mean just through a web page instead of mobile apps?

[–] AskewLord@piefed.social 1 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (1 children)

they mean okcupid, match.com, plentyoffish, etc. or the more niche geek dating websites maybe.

all the dating websites that started in the 2000s and got supplanted by Tinder and Bumble over decade ago.

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

My partner and I met on okcupid about 6 years ago, it used to be the best for actual dating but then they got rid of all the good features

[–] Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

I met mad cool people on plenty of fish, the last one being my husband

[–] daggermoon@piefed.world 11 points 11 hours ago

Ain't that just Craigslist?

[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world -1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

sniffies.com works, no account needed

[–] NannerBanner@literature.cafe 3 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Went there, saw way too many websites' scripts trying to run and closed the page. Don't let your browser get STIs.

But that's the STI sharing website. your computer can have some too, as a treat

[–] dontgogettingtooclever@piefed.social 10 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

maybe we can go back to craigslist personals

[–] AskewLord@piefed.social 1 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

they don't exist anymore. they were shut down because of sex trafficking laws in 2018.

[–] OriginEnergySux@lemmy.world 6 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

I havent used them in about 13 years, but does the 'casting the net' approach not work anymore? How bad did they get? Like you need to pay to get their reply?

[–] wasd603@lemmy.zip 9 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

No, but most of them limit how many likes you can send, you can't undo a swipe, and of course to find out who liked you have to get the higher tier not even just the basic one.

[–] OriginEnergySux@lemmy.world 6 points 8 hours ago

Oof thats farked. Enshitification really shat on everything

[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 4 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

net still works fine. The apps have gotten worse, there is much more annoying patterns, the people have gotten much more bitter as a lot of the people on there are the leftovers. But you still find interesting people and if you're open to actually looking at people then you can turn a biter person back into a normal person.

But yeah its pretty competitive, I feel like guys have begun to level up their game and they now dress nice, shower and take good photos so you cant get ahead just by doing the basics anymore.

[–] OriginEnergySux@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago

Shit that makes me feel old as fuck, i hope i dont end up single again

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 5 points 9 hours ago

Showering isn't a basic thing anymore?😱