You don’t need me to tell you that modern love in 2025 feels like a dystopian game show where the prize is emotional trauma and the host is your ex.

But here’s the thing—it’s not just you. Love isn’t just hard. It’s broken.

And we need to talk about it.

Welcome to the Dating Hunger Games

Remember when dating was supposed to be cute coffee dates and butterflies?

Now it’s a competitive sport. Except instead of medals, you win getting ghosted by someone who said “I’m not like other guys.”

Where the odds of finding emotional availability are never in your favor.

Apps were supposed to make finding love easier. Swipe, match, fall in love—simple, right?

Instead, they turned romance into a marketplace where you’re the product. The algorithm isn’t your friend; it’s keeping you single just long enough to renew your subscription to loneliness.

Because if you actually found love, they’d lose a customer.

And let’s not even start on the guy whose entire personality is that he travels.

Situationships: The New Casual Torture Method

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been personally victimized by the word “chill.”

We wanted partnership. We got vibes.

Situationships have become the default. You text every day, maybe even meet the dog—but when you ask, “What are we?” suddenly he’s a philosopher.

“Let’s not label this,” he says, while you mentally delete the future wedding Pinterest board.

It’s exhausting. You’re not asking for a marriage license on date two—just basic respect. But apparently, in 2025, “clear communication” is now a love language rarer than monogamy.

Friendly reminder: If he can plan a fantasy football draft, he can schedule a date.

If his red flags look like confetti, it’s time to cancel the party.

The Ghosting Epidemic (Or, Why You Should Charge Rent to the Emotional Squatters in Your Brain)

You matched. It was good. The banter was elite. Then… nothing.

Ghosting used to be the exception; now it’s standard practice.

We send texts like job applications—hoping for a callback, knowing rejection is more likely. Worse, it’s not even rejection; it’s silence.

And silence breeds spiraling:

Was I too much? Did I come on too strong? Is my attachment style showing?

No, babe. He just lacks the emotional maturity to type, “Hey, I don’t see this working.”

Your therapist charges $200/hour to tell you what your gut knew for free.

The Green Text Bubble Red Flag

Modern love isn’t just about feelings; it’s aesthetics.

Green text bubbles? Red flag.

Unironic Snapchat use? Jail.

LinkedIn love bombing? Death penalty.

We laugh, but it’s real. Aesthetic compatibility matters because it signals values. You deserve someone who understands your meme references and doesn’t think sending an “LOL” is emotional labor.

Plot twist: The real red flag was expecting basic communication all along.

Texting is the love language of 2025. If he can’t craft a coherent good morning text without sounding like an AI bot, he’s not the one.

Why We’re Not Crazy (And Why It’s Not Our Fault)

Here’s the raw truth:

We’re not failing at love. We’re surviving a system designed to fail us.

Apps profit from our heartbreak.

Dating culture rewards detachment.

And somewhere along the line, emotional intelligence became a rare commodity.

But it’s not you.

It’s the system.

So, What Now? (Besides Wine)

We can’t delete the apps—we’ve tried.

But we can change the approach:

• Raise the bar. If he can’t communicate, he’s not busy—he’s just not for you.
• Prioritize peace. If texting him feels like emotional Sudoku, stop playing.
• Build community. The best love stories often start when you’re not desperately searching. Join that hobby group. Drag your friends to a cooking class. Or just keep sending memes to your ride-or-die group chat.

That 2am ‘you up?’ text that somehow feels like a job interview? Decline.

Spoiler: You deserve more than emotional breadcrumbs.

Tag that friend who needs to hear this.

And when it all feels like too much, talk to someone who gets it. There are experts out there who know modern dating is chaos and can help you navigate it without losing your mind.

Because you’re not asking for too much. You’re just asking for a grown adult who texts back.

And in 2025, that’s the real love story.