How dating has changed during the Covid-19 pandemic

In recent years, virtual communication has become a significant part of our life. Traditional dating, whether on the street or in a bar, is gradually fading into the background and becoming less popular. What changes have occurred in the online dating industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it became very difficult to organize a first date off-line?

Over the past decades, online dating has finally transformed the perception of the virtual environment as a kind of ephemeral space where it is impossible to find a mate. Recent research shows that people are now more likely to have relationships online. This has become the new norm.

Due to the period of restrictions caused by the coronavirus, when the usual connections between people were interrupted, family and friends meetings were moved to chats. Applications providing such a service have become very popular. Providing opportunities for people with common interests to communicate, holding various thematic events, contests online, has become an important task for all developers of communication services.

Also, special applications for couples who want to spend a date at a distance began to appear. With such communication, on the one hand, personal contact is excluded, but on the other hand, both virtual partners experience the whole range of sensations, feelings and emotions.

Most of us have to adapt quickly to new circumstances. The need for communication has not gone anywhere, but due to quarantine measures it cannot be satisfied in the usual way, so you have to change the approach to meetings, habitual communication in a bar or cafe, a romantic date, and building interpersonal relationships in general.

There is a high probability that the period of restrictions will continue for some time, so you have to get used to holding family meetings and parties with friends online. In addition, there are opportunities to diversify your leisure time by watching TV series and films together.

The creators of many online services are introducing new features to simplify virtual communication. For example, it has become popular to conduct video conferencing when it is necessary to simultaneously communicate with a large number of people. Some dating sites began to help people find a mate by opening a hotline for free counseling in matters of interpersonal relations.

However, users tend to lean towards more traditional ways of spending time together: they prefer to invite each other for coffee, dinner, or somewhere to go for a walk. But despite their habits, some of them still try to transfer their previous experience to the online format, for example, holding a virtual date by candlelight with a glass of wine.

While self-isolation is stressful for many, having a virtual conversation partner can help overcome feelings of loneliness. Daily statistics of major messengers showed that the number of messages increased by 20-25%. So that you have the opportunity to actively communicate, do not limit yourself to a narrow circle of familiar acquaintances and friends, try to get to know each other more, expand the possibilities for choosing an interesting interlocutor. While the restrictions are in place, you can spend enough time to communicate to sort out your preferences and likes.

The increase in active correspondence has exacerbated the problem of dating fraud, so many users, having chatted on some service, exchange personal contacts and start personal correspondence in the messenger. This is a common practice that helps to check a potential partner: make sure that a person has uploaded his photos, see how adequate he is in communicating in real time, clarify his interests and hobbies, outlook on life.

Remain vigilant! There are many scammers and people with an unbalanced psyche on the Internet, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, do not waste a lot of time on correspondence, check the sanity and honesty of your friend through video calls. So you will form the most complete picture of your interlocutor and weed out unsuitable candidates.