Going to events, hobby meetups, clubs, etc, is always going to be 100x more effective at meeting people than the accursed apps. They have a financial incentive for you to be unsatisfied and keep swiping. Obviously don't be that person who shows up just to try to pick up people, but seriously you gotta go outside. I understand if maybe you live in a remote area and there aren't many things going on, but in almost every situation going outside is more effective and less demoralizing than the apps. Especially if you can find something that's regular and you can attend weekly or monthly or whatever. That's how connections form naturally, by being in the same place as other people and slowly getting to know them. This thing where we look at some photos of people and then immediately try to talk intimately with them is extremely unnatural, it's no wonder it doesn't work very well.