The Future of Dating is Fluid After the Pandemic?

While Tinder, Bumble, and other strong hitters in the online dating market may not want to brag about this specific stroke of luck, they can't deny that it's all worked out. While the sweeping consequences of COVID-19 pushed most other companies to adapt to unprecedented circumstances, if not shut down entirely, the particular context of an era of social alienation saw dating apps step into a limelight they'd been edging toward for years. Dating apps quickly became the only feasible alternative for people wishing to preserve some kind of a dating life when the epidemic began, as the virus destroyed most opportunities to meet a prospective romantic partner in real life. In short, in the COVID-19 era, all dating is done online.

People have rushed to dating apps like never before since the outbreak began, and the companies have the data to prove it. Since the beginning of the epidemic, prominent online dating platforms have seen significant increases in activity, and these trends have been consistent for the past year. Tinder reached its first big epidemic milestone in March of last year, when it surpassed three billion swipes in a single day. According to dating app development company US, between March and May, OkCupid, a Match Group product, experienced a 700 percent rise in dates, and competitor Bumble experienced a 70 percent spike in video calls. None of this has had a negative impact on the apps' profitability. After the “ladies first” dating app Bumble went public last month, founder Whitney Wolfe Herd became one of the world's youngest female billionaires.

Future of Online Dating

Is online dating's lucky break poised to follow suit now that the pandemic appears to be nearing an end? Will dating apps be able to sustain their pandemic-era appeal now that they're on the verge of returning to IRL mating grounds?

Digital Dating Will be More Common

Daters turned to virtual encounters for human connection as in-person contact grew dangerous. And, though the digital date may have begun as a necessity, it’s here to stay. A recent Tinder survey claims, those who have tried it perceive it as a low-pressure approach to get a feel for someone, and 40% of Gen Z Tinder members said they will continue to go on digital dates even when traditional dates become available.

Dating is Becoming Creative

Several first date locations were no longer available due to the closure of many restaurants and bars. So, when it came time to meet-ups, daters opted for more imaginative, intimate, and relaxed first date activities than they had in the past. Tinder, for example, observed a threefold spike in mentions of "roller skating" in biographies, as well as requests for date activities ranging from fort construction to snowball fights.

People Prefer People Near to Them

Most dating apps have geolocation, or ability to find people nearby, it was crucial during the pandemic's relocation surge. In 2020, mentions of ‘moving' in bios increased by 28%. People are still using Dating apps to find someone who lives close to them, even while technology allows them to live or work anywhere.

Many Dates are coming

Since the lockdown most people under 30 haven’t met and with things cooling down. We can expect a lot of dating and a lot of meetups soon. It will eventually normalize, but can be expected for a long time. Moreover, with vaccines being administered this is just the beginning. Dating apps will be used more commonly and people will prefer vaccinated partners.

More Casual Dating

According to a recent dating app survey’s like that of Tinder, reveal that the number of daters looking for "no particular type of relationship" has increased by over 50%. Rather of being driven by the pandemic, the next generation of daters will seek out more open-ended partnerships.

More Honest relationships

I don’t know whether it’s because people feel less vulnerable online, then they do in real life but the pandemic has shown a new trend. People are more honest about their boundaries and issues. Many people were able to put things into perspective as a result of the outbreak. Tinder users among other app users became more honest and open about who they are, what they look like, and what they're go through as a result of it. During the epidemic, mentions of ‘anxiety' and ‘normalize' in bios increased (‘anxiety' increased 31%; ‘normalise' increased more than 15 times).