Ever since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, were forced to stay inside our homes and change our everyday routines in drastic ways. Apart from impacting our social and professional lives, this also affected our romantic lives in quite an unexpected manner. We are no longer free to go to movies, restaurants, and traditional dates that we took for granted all this time.
So, how exactly are singles finding potential mates during the coronavirus pandemic, and how has the dating game changed?
Dating apps have spiked in popularity
Even though mobile apps specifically designed for dating, such as Tinder and Hinge, were already favoured among the younger generations, the pandemic has seen an increase in popularity when it comes to these handy applications. However, even older generations who might have avoided online dating up until now have started to embrace this new concept.
It seems like the efficiency and the convenience of dating apps made them a number one option during the lockdown period. These applications allow singles to match with a number of potential partners, and chat with each one of them in order to get to know them on a deeper level, which sounds like the safest dating option when social distancing guidelines need to be followed.
Video chatting might be the new normal
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Some singles are taking this courtship one step further, however, and deciding to take video calls with their potential partners through applications like FaceTime, Zoom, and other online platforms. As it allows individuals to see exactly who they’re talking to, including their physical appearance, as well as their personal taste and style, video chatting will likely become the new normal when searching for a suitable mate.
But even though looks can give us an insight into someone’s personality, it doesn’t seem like it’s all about appearance. Video chatting also provides an opportunity to go on virtual dates, as a wonderful alternative for those who can’t go on traditional ones due to pandemic-related measures.
The internet presents some serious dangers
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like it’s all fun and games. Dating online does come with its fair share of dangers, with many who are using dating apps with illegal or immoral motives. This has been particularly prevalent in Australia, for instance, where individuals have realised that the potential mates they met online turned out to be scammers, sexual offenders, or married people looking for an affair.
To combat this issue, Australians often decide to hire a trusted and reputable private investigator from Melbourne who can help them perform background checks on potential partners in order to find out whether they are actually who they appear to be on the internet. If you are worried about a person you met online as well, it might be a good idea to hire an investigator who will help to ease your worries, or potentially save you from a dangerous situation.
Hooking up is a thing of the past
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Younger generations have notoriously used dating apps in the past mostly in an effort to find short-term sexual partners who would fulfil their needs instantly. However, the newly learned internet dangers, in combination with self-isolation measures, have now made hooking up and meaningless flings nearly impossible to achieve.
Instead, individuals are now forced to get to know potential partners on a deeper level, talking to them much more often and for longer periods of time, often even skipping the small talk and jumping directly to the more vital aspects of someone’s personality. This, in turn, led dating to take on its original meaning once again, forcing individuals to either form a more intimate emotional connection with a potential partner before having sex, or to simply move on to another mate.
Slower love might be more accepted
Even though dating apps have been used for mindless scrolling and swiping, along with short-term flings, our brains were never exactly equipped to handle so many choices and to keep up with such fast-paced romantic lives. From a myriad of options, we decided on none.
However, the pandemic seems to be extending the period of familiarising ourselves with potential partners, which might be one of its biggest advantages. Instead of skipping to the final act and getting to know each other later, quarantine has forced us to go back to the opposite, fostering a healthier and slower approach to love and romance.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic might have turned our lives upside down quite unexpectedly, the dating world seems to be thriving even during self-isolation, finding new, slower, and deeper ways to connect with potential romantic partners.
