[dingaling]

> and pick the best one that comes along next

The point is that for a set of people there's no-one coming along next. Hence they turn to dating sites to try to make connections.

I grew up in the 1980s and 90s. There were no dating apps, just classified 'want to meets' in the newspaper and they were expensive and fruitless. I didn't have a first date until I was 30, it took that long to find someone who was interested.

I wouldn't lecture anyone today about anything they can ethically & legally do to avoid that long sentence of loneliness. Even if they don't find a life partner, just getting one or two dates can be a huge boost to esteem.