Dating apps are very much like games. It’s a big social game, and the reward is engagement.

To have a viable dating app it has to continue to have active participants. People need to feel dopamine using the dating app.

That being said the biggest issue is most of the dating apps are closed source. But the issue of opening them, to federation, are abuses spam, seeing people you don’t want to see etc.

Is swiping on people, and sending messages the ultimate in dating? Of course not. But it’s the current meta that’s emerged.

The big problems in the current model, engagement with people who are not photogenic. Being able to present people is more than a photo, with more depth. If the app does a very good job, and somebody finds a partner, they stop using the app, causing the community and ecosystem to die. So apps are currently incentivized to keep people engaged, but not off the market.

Humans are social creatures, Everything is a dating app one huge advantage dating apps have, is that more or less everyone is open to dating. And making connections.