Finding love isn’t exactly a walk in the park. Whether you go the old-school route with a blind date set up by your sister’s coworker or dive into the world of dating apps, the struggle remains the same.

The search for a meaningful connection can sometimes feel like an endless maze of awkward encounters, mismatched expectations, and, let’s be real—some truly bizarre interactions.

These days, online dating is more popular than ever. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly three in ten U.S. adults have used a dating site or app. But it’s not all sunshine and romance.

In fact, recent findings reveal that 45% of users feel frustrated by the experience, while only 28% remain hopeful. It turns out that swiping left and right isn’t as simple as it seems—it comes with its own set of emotional highs and lows.

It can be exhausting to keep scrolling through profiles, hoping to find someone who actually clicks. Hours of chatting might lead to ghosting, awkward first dates, or even the realization that someone’s profile picture was taken ten years ago. The entire process can leave people questioning if love was easier to find before technology took over.

To understand the complexities of modern dating, we spoke with relationship coach Jay Bhaskar from Gujarat, India. He believes that impatience plays a major role in the struggles of online dating.

"People want instant results. They don’t want to invest time in getting to know someone," he explains. This rush to find "the one" often leads to impulsive decisions and miscommunication.

“In an attempt to stand out, people sometimes end up saying things that come off as odd or even inappropriate,” Bhaskar adds. While confidence is key, there’s a fine line between being charming and being cringeworthy. And as dating app users know too well, not everyone gets that memo.

“Sometimes, what people mean and what they actually say are two completely different things," he continues. "A joke meant to be funny might land the wrong way, or an innocent compliment might sound forced or awkward." The lack of real-time social cues in text-based conversations makes things even trickier.

One of the biggest downsides of online dating, Bhaskar points out, is the lack of filters. “People don’t hold back. There’s a certain level of anonymity that makes them feel they can say whatever they want, without facing the consequences.” This can result in interactions that range from rude and inappropriate to downright shocking.

"There’s no real accountability," he says. "If things go wrong, people can just unmatch or block the person and move on without any explanation." While this can be useful in some cases, it also leads to a dating culture where ghosting and abrupt endings have become the norm.

Writer Magdalene J. Taylor summed it up perfectly in an opinion piece for The New York Times: “Dating apps treat people like commodities and encourage us to treat others the same. We are not online shopping. We are looking for people we may potentially spend our lives with.” The endless swiping and quick judgments often take away the human element from dating, making genuine connections harder to form.

At the end of the day, dating—whether online or offline—isn’t just about finding the right person; it’s also about presenting yourself in the best way possible. And as these posts prove, some people definitely missed that memo. If nothing else, these dating app fails serve as a hilarious reminder of what not to say to your date! Which one made you cringe the most?