Romantic infrastructure collapse

Dating trends reflect the health of meeting systems — dating apps, nightlife venues, and informal matchmaking — not just individual tastes. When those systems degrade (app fatigue, fewer public social spaces, broken UX), observable declines in dating and partnership follow even if underlying desire remains. — Recasting dating declines as an infrastructure problem shifts responsibility toward platforms, urban policy, and market design, with consequences for fertility, loneliness, and local economies.