What Online Dating Looks Like During a Pandemic

People used to meet each other in bars, at parties, at festivals, and in schools. But all regular dating was put to a halt with the entrance of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

COVID-19 has changed dating drastically. A couple that lives thousands of miles away and a mile away will now experience the same dynamic, as they cannot meet each other in normal circumstances. 

Thus, people have turned to social media. Dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge all saw a massive spike in usage over the past year, with some platforms garnering a 15% increase in users, especially during the previous stay-at-home orders. 

Online dating is very different from typical dating. One can simply speak to someone else from the comfort of their home, using platforms like facetime, zoom, Snapchat, and others. To promote safe dating that maintained regulations, Tinder added a video-chat feature to their variety of features. 

Online dating, unlike normal dating, is thereby not limited by distance. Relationships have now begun to span states, countries, and even continents. 

The aspect of virtual dates is revolutionary. Many people have turned to video games, watching movies via screen share, and having long conversations with their significant others.

Nonetheless, COVID-19 has harmed dating in many ways, with many couples breaking up due to the inability to see each other. Simultaneously, stress from COVID-19 lockdowns has ended relationships, as couples can no longer balance the stresses of a relationship and life. Celebrities have also seen significant breakups, one of which occurred between Kayne West and Kim Kardashian.

Further research by Bumble indicated that 2 in 3 of their users experience loneliness because of social dislocation and have experienced a decline in mental health as a causation of the pandemic. Similarly, they reported heightened anxiety and low confidence levels in their willingness to go on real-life dates, mainly due to a lack of comfortability with the potential virus exposure. Although that fear may have faded over the past few months, it proves the vast impact exerted on singles during the pandemic’s peak. 

The following of COVID-19 guidelines even causes this division. A new term has emerged called Fauci-ing. To ‘Fauci’ someone is to break up with a significant other for not taking COVID-19 seriously. The term appears from the name of the leader of the COVID-19 Task Force, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

The pandemic has indeed upended our lives and may leave impacts for years to come.