Let’s face it: if dating apps were people, they’d be that friend who promises to set you up, then vanishes after introducing you to a magician with a gambling problem.
When Facebook was born in a Harvard dorm, it started as a way to rate who was hot or not. Now, it’s where your mom shares 47 recipes for banana bread and your uncle argues with strangers about aliens. That’s called evolution.
Meanwhile, dating apps? They’re still playing “Hot or Not” in a darker corner of the internet with better lighting and worse pickup lines.
So why didn’t any dating platform become the Facebook of Love? Why, after 400 million users, infinite right-swipes, and enough heartbreak to power three Adele albums, has no app created a true romantic ecosystem?
Let’s explore why love didn’t go viral—because, my friends, everyone in this circus is misbehaving.
Misbehaving Agent #1: Men — The Swipe-(a)pocalypse
Picture this: you’re a guy on a dating app. You’ve read zero bios, examined no mutual interests, and still swiped right on 60 out of the last 100 profiles. Congratulations! You’re now part of the problem.
Men aren’t evil. Just… evolutionarily enthusiastic. Their unconscious game plan is: “Swipe first, read later.”
And what do we get? A digital tsunami of likes flooding women’s inboxes. Picture being screamed at by 800 men holding slightly different fish in profile photos. Overwhelming? Yes. Romantic? Not unless you’re into seafood.
Misbehaving Agent #2: Women — The Selective Queens of Chaos
Now enter women, who swipe right on only 4-5 men out of 100.
That sounds rational until you realize everyone’s swiping for the same 6’2″, bearded, guitar-holding entrepreneur with abs and a dog. That guy? He now believes he’s a modern-day Viking prince. And why shouldn’t he? He’s got 700 matches, a podcast, and commitment issues.
Meanwhile, average guys disappear into the dating void, and average women are left chasing the top 1% of men like it’s The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games.
Misbehaving Agent #3: Dating Entrepreneurs — The Swipe Dealers
Let’s talk about the puppet masters behind all this: the dating app founders.
These are brilliant folks. But instead of fixing the dating chaos, they’ve monetized it. They give you just enough dopamine to stay, not enough success to leave.
They all follow the same playbook:
- Swipe interface ✅
- “Unique” matchmaking algorithm that’s not actually unique ✅
- Subscription model that charges $29.99 to boost your selfie into the void ✅
And when that doesn’t work, they sell your romance data to an ad company so you start seeing banner ads for therapy, cologne, and vacation deals for singles in denial.
Misbehaving Agent #4: The Dating Industry — The Big Love Oligopoly
The dating industry today is like a reality show where six companies pretend to be different but all serve you the same lukewarm buffet of profiles.
And they’re not looking for innovation—they’re looking to make the chaos profitable. They aren’t building love—they’re building congestion. And they’re winning.
You can’t blame them. When 98% of users are freeloaders and only 2% pay (usually out of desperation or optimism), what would you do? Sell data? Upsell boosts? Or create “Elite Premium Plus Gold Ultra Membership” where you pay $50 a month to be ignored in HD?
Exactly.
So Why Hasn’t Love Gone Viral?
Because dating isn’t scalable like photos of cats or conspiracy memes. Love is weird. Awkward. Time-consuming.
You can’t just throw people into an app, tell them to swipe based on six filtered pictures and expect true intimacy to happen. That’s not matchmaking. That’s Tinder Hunger Games.
If we want a Facebook of Love, we need:
- Communities that connect organically
- Reputation systems (so people can’t keep ghosting like emotional ninjas)
- Serendipity, not saturation
- And a UI that doesn’t treat people like Pokémon cards
Until then, we’ll just keep matching, misbehaving, and occasionally texting “u up?” at 2 a.m.
In conclusion:
Dating apps failed to become the Facebook of Love not because they couldn’t—but because they didn’t want to. It’s easier to monetize chaos than create connection.
But who knows? Maybe one day someone will build a dating app that’s less about swiping and more about substance.
Until then, don’t take it too seriously.
After all, even Facebook is single now.
Join the DropD now.
Leave A Comment