In economics, we divide two dynamics.

Macroeconomics focuses on the big picture, and Microeconomics focuses on the individual picture. They are a bit more sophisticated than that, but I will trivialise their respective definitions for the post's clarity.

The reason behind this post is that many people will talk about the people on the Internet who are cut out of the real world and have all of these prejudices or mental models, or they will be bogged down when they don't seek justifications behind their non-satisfactory outcomes. Conversely, you will have the ones who will cheer the odd anecdotes shared opposing the former.

The reality is that social media is like a technical analysis indicator, if not a sentiment indicator.

Without further ado, let's dive deep into it:

Over the past five years, the macro side has signalled a Bear Market for many guys but a Gold Rush for the very few. The rise in popularity of the Black and Red Pill is evidence of that. The odd WSJ poll about guys not having sex in the past year is another telltale sign, but what have been the main factors behind this:

=> Hoeflation => The general rise in a per fuck unit cost from the realisation of the sellers (women) that they could hike up their price from the realisation of their online demand having a real-life price impact. This affected the whole market, holding Everything else equal. This has led to and reinforced the following:

=> Simpconomy => Where guys are meeting the new asking price when they don't lead with their wallet to secure dates, either out of desperation or low self-esteem when it is not out of pragmatism from the desire to quickly get the attention of a girl overwhelmed by the artificial demand created by social media and dating apps.

=> The flattening of the world through IG => Women created a personal portfolio, previously the prerogative of female models, and with direct messaging abilities, can be contacted by every man worldwide. So, your average man is competing against a much bigger pool of people. This also creates another problem:

=> The higher experience threshold => Social Media, women working and what their Money allows, high-end dating from Simpconomy /Hoeflation, holding Everything else equals guys have to have a value offering much higher than their previous generational peers. Adding to that the fact women experienced a more comprehensive array of experiences with better looking, richer, higher Status, bigger d*cks, thanks to their relatively higher body counts and other entertainment offers.

=>Negative Influences on Women => This is underrated. Still, Female Influencers and Podcasts like Call Her Daddy have massively shifted the modern Western female psyche alongside their masculinisation through the workplace, having turned them into femo-sexicus in their 20s and homo-economicus in their 30s. Notwithstanding, the legitimisation and democratisation of trends like the 6 feet + and icks. The rise in women's standards is both due to this and Hoeflation.

=> The Dopaminisation of the Minds => Everything is fast-paced, attention is low, and value needs to be communicated shortly; otherwise, it gets lost. Long-term planning is out of the window. Living in the present, a useful mental shift against dwelling in the past and becoming anxious about the future, has turned the logic to the extreme, with people adopting the maturity of a toddler. The timeline between catching a prospect's attention and moving through the milestones must happen fast to stay relevant.

=> The Digitalisation of Encounters and Communication => Whereas before, people were more used to meeting and communicating in real life, now there are more hurdles before a meeting if one tries getting out of his social/work circle, past university or school. People are more risk-averse before meeting strangers, so they will use different vetting landmarks (IG, LinkedIn). While meeting people randomly on the streets is still possible, communities are being created as filtering mechanisms to regulate the chaos of random encounters. The illusion of choice from the overwhelming perception of options is also another consequence of it.

=> Desensitisation from Over-Dating => It is no surprise that the democratisation of mass dating has made people more blasé about it, so the newness factor, people have become less tolerant and are also more aware of dating strategies. Their previous disappointments raise their alarm bells when the benefit of the doubt is given less and less to the other person, as strangers have a much lesser buy-in than someone they have had the opportunity to observe over an opportunistic, more extended period.

These are some major macro trends you find in dating, and they don't make for a good look. Does it make the landscape harder for someone above 25 years old to meet people? Yes, for sure, the most optimists will say it makes it different.

If one only focuses on the above, Everything is cooked. However, it also goes back to the individual, where the Micro side of the equation comes into play. This is you, the individual.

In economics, macroeconomics guides major changes within an industry, and most companies suffer from a downturn.

Their sales department will suffer a drop in revenues generated, so they will lay off most of the staff. However, you will have few that will remain and make the most of the opportunity by finding a rewarding sales or problem-solving angle and getting new accounts from the lower salesforce within the company.

Likewise, a few companies within an industry will benefit relatively from the downturn compared to their competitors by adapting to the new landscape. They will outperform in a negatively driven environment.

Likewise, the best equity analysts are the ones who survive a Bear Market as the tide lifts all boats in a Bullish environment.

So, what is the Micro side when it comes to dating:

=> Location => Where are you based? Is it a big city where most macro influences will be more prone to be felt, or a smaller city where localism and the illusion of choice will be less poignant? Passport bro strategy pushes the logic to the fullest by changing the Location to get out of the West. If you are looking for volume and short-term focus on big cities, you will find more luck in smaller towns if you want something serious. It is not your absolute value proposition that matters but your relative one vs your competition.

=> SMV => Where do you locate yourself in the SMV marketplace? What is your USP? The higher you are on the scale, the wider your options are. Looks, Money, and Status will be the main deciding factors. How you market it will also be critical.

=> Archetype/Niche => This is the market segment you will focus on where you know you will have the highest chance to convert the highest percentage of opportunities. It is about knowing well what your strengths are and knowing where they will be more appreciated. Doing a SWOT Analysis will help better segment what you need to display to catch the ever-fleeting attention of your prospects. This will also help you decide which niche to focus on.

=> Personality / Game / Authenticity => Location was logistics, and Archetype/Niche and SMV are the surface-level heuristics. Regarding personality, it has Everything to do with Charisma and Confidence, as well as how well your social and communication skills are tuned so that you can keep the attention you manage to catch and single yourself out from the rest of your competition.

=> The Target Market => The type of girl you go for, the age range and how you stack up against the competition you are faced with. It is also about understanding their agenda and what they respond to so that you can get quicker positive feedback when you enter the fray. It will also help you know where you should put your attention and what to expect, and, based on that, adapt what you should expect from the girls.

=> Strategy => Some people will tell you about Day Games, Night Games, Social Circles, Online Dating, and Matchmaking. Ideally, you would like to tap into every one of them, but you will be scattering yourself too thin. It is about understanding where you fit best, how much the above micro factors align with your value proposition, and how resonating it is with your target market. Then, double down on the Strategy you chose.

CONCLUSION

One may think this sounds all too complicated and that things should happen naturally.

Ideally, the above would not be necessary. Still, the macro factors mentioned above have affected the reality of encounters and relationships, and people are struggling more than ever to meet their future other half.

The latest things I read about are running clubs and wine-tasting events where matches will happen between people with corresponding wine tastes... (lol). It is that bad that entrepreneurs are looking at all the potential angles possible to make things happen, heeding the Niche Micro factor mentioned above.

Men must learn to strategise their approach, as they don't benefit from the objective abundance women can access by opening an app while facing higher competition.

Men cannot just sit and wait for things to happen magically; it is about understanding the various forces at play and adapting to their best possibilities.

The micro elements offset the general negative factors that make meeting someone even more challenging. As an individual, you still have agency, and it is very easy to fall into the doom and gloom of the current dating market from the macro lens, where every bachelor and single lady plays a part.

If you're interested in this, these are the factors you need to address to maximise your realm of opportunities despite the bear macro environment. The arbitrage of whether this is worth your while will be personal, but if you are in the market looking for opportunities, it is not over. These are the angles to focus on.

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