The Economics of Online Dating, or, Why I Will Never Do Online Dating Again

I will most likely not do online dating again. I mean, never say never, but I feel pretty good about the decision in this moment.  And I know what you're thinking. You're thinking it is because of all of the pictures of men with fish out there, and I hate fish.
(Seriously. All. Fish. I have a friend who has begun collecting the pictures of the guys holding fish. Do single straight guys think girls like a guy who can fish? My brother-in-law is an avid fisherman, and he is awesome... But still.  Way too many pictures of fish. )

Fish aside, I have learned some things being in school for four months.
Not many things, but some.

I currently have an A in my Econ class, which means all you farmers need to chain down your pigs. I believe I can do this sort of math because it also comes with a picture and a story, so my left brained mind can get past the right brain number struggle.  But with that A I have learned about basic supply and demand. And I've learned that in a community that struggles to get on with it, online dating is the absolute worst thing we could do. And yet, we all do it.

It used to have a stigma. Even five years ago when I jumped in full force I was embarrassed to tell people. It was a last resort measure for the non-dater.  But now if you have a single friend they have tried something. I guarantee they have a current Tinder account. (They also have at least 10 dreadful stories from said Tinder account, ranging from the  the most ridiculous like my friend who had a guy- take her to Little Caesars for a $5 hot and ready pizza...And he wouldn't pay the extra $2 for the deep dish...Or crazy bread!! Or the completely inappropriate, like the guy that told me about his open marriage, and how he is interested in mutual masturbation... That's when I deleted the app. Enough is enough.)

What I've learned with my current A in Economics (Finals are in two days, so it could all come crashing down) but I've learned that this online system is flawed.

Basic Supply and Demand.

As the quantity of an item increases, the Demand goes down. Consumers don't really want it as much any more, because it is so available. It's easy. It's there.  Any online option has multitudes of choices. So. Many. Choices. And because you know there is somebody else just a right swipe away, you care a little less.

Also going down with quantity increase?  That item's value.  The value that the consumer esteems this item at plummets, the higher the quantity.

As the quantity supplied goes up that also means there are more producers in the market. And with more producers, that means that some of the people producing aren't as efficient. Because there is so much room in the market, anyone can join. Even people in an open marriage who propose all sorts of inappropriate things. Or people who love Hot & Ready's. Or people with pictures of fish.

And if there is less efficiency, and a lower value placed on who is in there, if the interest level has decreased then why would I subject myself to that? I used to think it was a good process.  And it has it's perks. Since I deleted all accounts, I haven't been on a single date.

But I want quality, not quantity. I want something with value, not something cheap.
I want someone to think I'm awesome, not just wonder if there may be someone else more interesting/pretty/smart/insert trait here, and then just go back to the search pool to find them. With that much choice, and so many options, there is nothing meaningful. Nothing special.

If you want something fleeting, something meaningless, it is the right track to take. But we know that's not what I'm after.  I've yet to figure out how I will meet single men otherwise. I thought leaving a matriarchal retail store would help me meet men, but then I ended up working from home. I thought starting graduate school would help me meet men, but as it turns out an MBA program has a lot of married men. (And leave it to me to have my closest male friend in the program be the gay one.)

Maybe I just need to take up fishing.