Dating Is Broken: Social Media, Insecurity, and What's Next [Ep 126]

Dating Is Broken: Social Media, Insecurity, and What's Next [Ep 126]

From Better Than Perfect | A Relationship Podcast by Nicole and John Sonmez

April 24, 2026 · 1h 4m · Season 3 · Episode 126

About this episode

The episode discusses how social media and influencer culture are negatively impacting dating and relationships, driven by deep-seated insecurities.

Dating Is Broken: Social Media, Insecurity, and What's Next The state of dating and relationships has never been more chaotic — and social media is the accelerant. John and Echo break down why influencer culture, looks-obsessed content creators, and chronically online young people are destroying any chance at real connection, and what's actually driving it all: deep, unaddressed insecurity. From the "captain of the ship" talk and why men shouldn't volunteer commitment first, to the Manosphere documentary, to the Clavicular phenomenon — this episode tackles how fake online lives are warping what young men and women think dating even is. John and Echo get into why parents are failing their kids by handing them social media without guardrails, why money multiplies whatever's already broken in you, and why the void that influencers keep chasing can never actually be filled. In This Episode Women are gatekeepers of sex; men are gatekeepers of commitment — you can't lead the "captain of the ship" talk without leverage You must already BE the captain before she ever asks "what are we?" — it's a clarification, not a surprise announcement Influencers like Clavicular aren't proof that…

People in this episode

Host: John

Guest: Echo

Topics covered

  • dating
  • social media
  • insecurity
  • influencer culture
  • relationships
  • commitment

Keywords

  • dating
  • social media
  • insecurity
  • influencers
  • commitment
  • relationships
  • Clavicular
  • Manosphere

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Manosphere

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