Dating sites made me depressed
I had a dating site for a whole year. After a good many years of people recommending that I join one, I broke down and did it.
I did the little quizzes and it supposedly matched me up with people who would most likely talk with me.
The problem was I didn't like pushing myself to message so many girls at once. It goes against my personality. I did it anyway but I only ever got one response. Oddly, I didn't even actually say anything that referred to their profile or anything. Just a simple little chibi smile because I think they are adorable.
My first and only date and I never heard back from her.
I realized pretty quick that I was destroying myself emotionally. Just waiting on responses is rather sad and I hated pushing myself to keep coming up with different ways to introduce myself. And at that rate, I didn't want to message just anybody. It wouldn't be worthwhile. I am in my mid-tenties and I just feel like sharing my experiences with someone else. I just don't know what to do.
I'm not sure dating sites are for me. They all seem geared towards taking money I barely have for the same nonexistent results
@PumpkinKat
Some people have great success with dating websites/meeting people online, and some have horrible luck. I'm very much the same and my experiences online have been fairly horrendous. I don't know if you'll have success with those sites, but I wish you the very best of luck! At the very least, you aren't alone. 
@PumpkinKat
Hi! It can be discouraging and sometimes even soul crushing to feel rejected. Dating sites can be a useful tool for some people to quickly meet potential romantic partners. But it can also be a negative experience, especially for men, who are rejected more quickly and more frequently on dating sites than in real life. Women can also have negative experiences on dating sites by receiving unwanted messages from men.
Instead, why not join a club or do group activities where you share a hobby or interest with everyone there? Being around new people and doing things you enjoy can help reverse the anxiety and rebuild any lost confidence. Even if you don't meet anyone within the group to potentially date, you can make friends who might introduce you to their single friends and even put in a good word for you- something dating sites could never do. I hope you don't let the setbacks you experienced from dating sites keep you from exploring the greater possibilities that still exist and finding the connection to other people every human being seeks. Take care :)
I've moved your thread to the Romantic Relationships section.
@PumpkinKat
I know how you feel. It kind of takes something out of you a little bit when you message so many people, and especially when you hardly ever get responses.
To be fair though, all it takes is one good one to have a happy relationship.
But yeah, honestly I think as a male it's usually just something that results in feeling rejected a lot and it sucks.