Online dating can be a daunting experience for guys, especially if they don't know what they're doing. The number one cause of frustration with men comes from using the wrong dating sites. If you're using a bad dating app that doesn't support the dating goals you're trying to achieve, then you're going to have a bad experience no matter what. Online dating requires effort, knowledge, good judgment, time and good mental health to have a good chance of success.
People put too much pressure on first dates to be their everything, to be their best friend, to be their confidant, or to be their therapist. It's a lot to ask a stranger. Dating apps imbue women with a filter mentality. It's hard to filter out men when women are in bars.
This is because there are a lot of non-superficial factors that come into play in the real world compared to a dating app. With an app, a woman can happily swipe left toward men who don't meet her exact criteria. Apps analyze and rank users to the point where their personalities can't shine through. When women don't know someone personally, it's easy for them to create a “must-have list”.
Guys have it harder on apps. It's not hard to see how a guy who spends a lot of time on Tinder can feel bad about himself. Physical intimacy helps people feel less alone, and feeling deprived of the opportunity to gain it is painful. In that same document that I mentioned above, it is stated that the need for casual sex is more likely to be reported as a motivation for men's use of Tinder, than for women.
There are always exceptions, but for the most part guys don't handle online dating any better than real dates. Imagine having your own Dream Team of highly qualified dating experts looking for the best local matches, piquing their interest, and arranging all the dates for you. Online dating isn't a scam, even though some sites promise much more than they offer (and some great dating sites offer more than most). Rather, I'm talking about all the people who created dating app accounts that aren't looking to date. To make online dating easier for guys, it's important to understand why it's so hard in the first place. Knowing what you're up against can help you make better decisions when it comes to finding the right dating site and setting up your profile.
It's also important to remember that online dating isn't just about swiping right or left; it's about making connections and building relationships.