Original Reddit post

​ 30M here from a South Asian country. I’ve been trying online dating and online relationships for years (Mainly Tumblr sometimes ig), but lately it just feels mentally exhausting. Everything feels oversaturated now. One woman posts something online and suddenly there are 50–100 guys competing for attention. Naturally she ends up talking to multiple people at once, which I understand, but from the guy’s side it can start feeling strange and pointless after a while. You try to have a genuine conversation, but it becomes late replies, scattered attention, inconsistent effort, ghosting, mixed signals, and constant competition for attention. It starts feeling less human and more like a marketplace. Over time it also creates trust and loyalty issues in your mind, even if you don’t want that mindset. Some people say offline dating is better, but honestly I don’t even know where people are meeting good partners anymore. A lot of men are also afraid of coming across as creepy just for starting a respectful conversation in real life. And before anyone says “work on yourself,” I genuinely have. I have a meaningful career, work remotely, travel often, communicate well, and I’d say I’m a respectful and emotionally aware person. I’m not looking for perfection or some fantasy woman. I just want to meet someone intelligent, kind, emotionally mature, and genuinely interested in building something over time. At this point I’m curious how other men are dealing with modern dating without becoming cynical. What actually worked for you? And women, I’d genuinely like your perspective too. I’m aware most of you all are exhausted as well, How does this look from your side? What makes someone stand out positively today without feeling fake or performative? Also curious how much geography matters here. I’ll probably spend more time in European countries soon, and I wonder if dating culture there feels healthier or just different in another way. submitted by /u/SaiyWolf

Originally posted by u/SaiyWolf on r/AskMen