Dating Post-Covid

The world has changed so much in the past two years, and with it, so has the world of online dating apps.

Apps like OkCupid and Tinder saw their users hit record high swipes and matches. Tinder recorded its highest number of swipes on a single day: 3 billion. From March to May 2020, OkCupid saw a 700% increase in dates. And over on Bumble, video calls increased by 70%.

 

More and more people are re-evaluating what types of relationships they really want in life, meaning what people are looking for when online dating has changed radically.

In this article, I will remind you what the world was like pre-Covid 19 and how dating apps were used then and how much the world has changed and how dating apps are used now, in a post-Covid-19 world.

Before we continue,

this post is part of our other handy article:

• Virtual Dates versus Offline Dates – Post Covid Dating 2022

Let’s get to it!

Online Dating Pre-Covid

Even though it was two years ago, the days before Covid seem more like a lifetime ago. It is hard to remember what a world without the Corona Virus and its variants looked like. For those of us who dated in a pre-covid world, we never even had a thought in our minds that one day the dating process would change for good.

Still, for those of you who don’t remember what online dating was like, pre-Covid 19, let me refresh you.

1. You actually had money to go out on dates. With so many people laid off and furloughed during the Covid-19 pandemic, many people could not afford to go out on dates. Whereas you might have had extra spending money for a Friday night out to the bar, now you might be struggling to afford milk and cereal for dinner.
2. Dates like dinner and a movie and drinks at a crowded bar were some of the most common first date options out there. You were able to cosy up to your date in a dimly lit booth in the back of the car and be able to converse without wearing a piece of fabric over your mouths.
3. More people were looking for hookups in a pre-Covid 19 world. Looking for hookups now can become unsafe since you don’t know if someone is vaccinated or infected with the virus, which means you are putting yourself and your loved ones at potential risk for contracting the Corona Virus. There was less intentional dating and more casual hookups.

• More people were looking for hookups in a pre-Covid 19 world. Looking for hookups now can become unsafe since you don’t know if someone is vaccinated or infected with the virus, which means you are putting yourself and your loved ones at potential risk for contracting the Corona Virus. There was less intentional dating and more casual hookups.

• People’s priorities have shifted since the Covid-19 pandemic rolled into our lives two years ago. Now, people who might not have wanted a family or a long-term relationship might have changed their priorities after the worldwide pandemic.

Online Dating Post-Covid

Online dating in a post-Covid-19 world looks completely different than it did if you were dating in a pre-pandemic one. Most of the dating rules got flipped on its head, turning everything upside down and confusing all dating app users like Tinder and OK Cupid.

 

Even with all the new virus variants coming out, there are still many ways to date safely in a post-Covid 19 world:

1. Dating apps now allow you the option to show your vaccination status. Tinder shows a bright badge on your profile stating if you have been vaccinated before. This is a new feature that will allow you to view who is vaccinated. This way, you are given peace of mind before going on your date.
2. First, dates stopped being in bars and movie theaters. Instead, they switched to zoom dates and socially distanced outdoor ones, no matter the weather. Gathering in small spaces is now a health risk, meaning dates have become dangerous. The best way to socially distance but still date in a safe way is to have your first date on Zoom. Both of you pick a meal to order in from the same place and pretend you are together. This also gives you the option of hitting the end call button if the dates start getting too creepy.
3. More people are intentionally dating now, meaning they are looking for long-lasting love as opposed to the casual hookups they might have been looking for pre-Covid 19. People have spent a lot of time indoors alone these past couple of years and all that time alone got pretty lonely.

Finally, during that time, users of dating apps had time to think long and hard, and many people saw a shift in their priorities. Whereas before Covid-19, they might never have thought of settling down, and now those people are the ones buying engagement rings and houses and settling in for the rest of their lives.

Conclusion

Pandemic fears and losses may complicate things.

Pre-Covid 19 online dating and post-Covid 19 online dating are two completely different things. The world has changed, and so did dating apps, and as the world keeps evolving, so will the world of online dating and apps. If the pandemic is still very active we will see a new normal like described above, and we will have to get used to the new normal!