They say workplace relationships don't work and they're probably right, but the problem is that's the only place you ever meet anyone these days.

Yeah I think that's common, but it's literally how we've been doing it since, well, forever.

Big Tech wants you to think it's scAAaRRrry BooOoOOo!

(I mean, tbf, sometimes it is. Also humiliating lol).

I have! Once, in highschool, it went poorly

Opposite for me. I've gone on plenty of first dates via apps, and a few second dates, but have only ever "dated" people that I happened to meet organically.

Careful or you'll get exactly what you're asking for.

We're a happily married couple who met through OkCupid, back when that was decent!

The problem is when it works it's despite the algorithm not because of it. It's probably easier for women, as there are more men on dating sites and there are women on dating sites.

Women as a whole want different things, and often don't know what they want from moment to moment. In my experience, most women prefer to be approached in public under some circumstances, and what those circumstances are differs wildly from woman to woman.

Women are human individuals and not a single-minded monolith.

What women universally don't want is to feel threatened, creeped out or objectified. It is perfectly possible to talk to someone without doing any of these. Though it gets a lot easier when you view them as humans.

I said elsewhere that writing a good profile is a skill many people have neither the aptitude nor training for, and thus fuck it all up.

Talking to strangers in public? Also a skill, and I'd say a much more difficult one with much higher stakes.

I've known charismatic sensitive people that can read a scene and chat up people. That's an outlier. Most people are bad at all of that.

also, remember the "man or bear? Definitely the bear" thing from a while ago? Still a thing.

I missed the part where the person your responding to said in public?

Go to meetups, the climbing gym, run clubs, volunteering, language class, literally anywhere you meet people

When & who it is/is not appropriate to approach is a totally separate issue from what I'm talking about.

I think the problem has more to do with the expectations of meeting people via dating apps vs organically irl, especially through common interests/activities.

Also, let's be real, regulating Capitalism does not work (look around).

Quality over quantity, bruv.