Thought entering coronavirus-induced quarantine would mean pressing pause on your love life? Well, apparently the opposite is true.
As anyone who has used dating apps will tell you: our society has a ‘disposability’ problem.
There are plenty of ways to describe it, from swipe culture to the BBD (you know, the users always searching for that ‘bigger better deal’), but many people will agree that it can be hard to find a lasting connection on an app.
Of course, that’s not true for everybody and there are lots of happily-ever-afters as a result of online dating. But, as shown in the lengthy string of millennial dating trends we’re all now au fait with, the problem with dating apps is that the attitude can often be ‘on to the next’. After all, it’s hard to build something that feels special with someone when you’re still talking via a platform that promotes looking at who else is out there.
So, who would have thought that in a time of country-wide lockdown, when blossoming romances are being stopped short (unless you make the decision to isolate together, that is), we’re actually managing to make more meaningful connections than ever?
Dating apps across the board are actually reporting increasingly positive findings since the beginning of quarantine, showing that people are making deeper connections and having longer conversations than they would if they could meet up straight away.
Happn, the dating app known for matching you with people you’ve crossed paths with, has said that in a survey of its users 73% said that the isolation period is helping them make a stronger connection online, while 45% have said that their conversations are more detailed and emotional.
Similarly, Badoo has seen an increase in length of conversations which suggest people are taking the time to get to know each other while stuck at home.
Natasha Briefel, UK brand marketing director of Badoo unpicks the findings, saying: “Whilst self-distancing or even self-isolating is a challenging thing to do, doing so when you’re single and perhaps even living alone, is even harder. Online dating is not always an easy world to navigate, but the increased isolation initially may make the idea of building a meaningful connection feel even further from reach.”
Speaking to Stylist.co.uk, Emma Jones, a singleton living in London, agrees and explains that her dating life hasn’t remotely slowed down since self-isolating and that video chats have become the norm for her. “I’ve done three video dates already since last week and it’s so fun, I’m honestly so excited about it,” she says.
“I think this time is giving us the chance to get to know people better and for now it might be stopping people seeing someone once and then ghosting them… although who knows if it will last,” she adds.
Wouldn’t it be nice for at least some love stories to come out of this otherwise pretty dismal time?
Images: Getty / Unsplash
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