>"If someone can't tell what the hell you actually look like or get a good feel for your real personality then why are they going to be interested?"

You're absolutely right that most men could stand to improve their profiles. However in the article the writer mentions how the photos she saw seemed designed to fit some template of what is supposed to be attractive, and that she was a little wary of how professional they appeared, so this can go both ways. Overall, though, it seems far better to have higher quality photos even if they appear staged.

One of the biggest challenges, however, is that the nature of these apps means that to 'get a good feel for your real personality' people must somehow get that across in only a few seconds before the person on the other end swipes on to another profile. With margins like that, and so little to work with, it is daunting and seemingly impossible to try and write something compelling enough to capture attention in a consistent way.

I don’t know. For Hinge I definitely can instantly reject some people. But if I find them attractive I’ll look through the whole profile and try to see if I like who they’re presenting themselves as. They say it’s a numbers game - and quantity is important. But the optimal breakdown between quantity and quality actually still weighs pretty heavy on quality.

If I match with someone I want to be able to convey that this person gives me a strong vibe of compatibility. It makes the next steps of conversing and meeting a natural conclusion. I don’t think you can do this if you don’t know what you’re looking for or who you are or what life you’re trying to live. But this is all very straightforward if you can make it clear you’re looking for something specific - in my case a spouse to raise children with. Without a goal the path is not clear.