Explosive Growth of Dating Websites During the Coronavirus Pandemic
The worldwide lockdown caused by COVID-19 and the forced self-isolation of billions of people around the world have affected their daily lives. Cinemas, entertainment centers, nightclubs – all these facilities temporarily shut down. Meeting new people and offline communication have become almost impossible. Of course, this will pass. Life will return to its previous rhythm. But there is one thing we can say for sure now: today the world is experiencing a real surge in the popularity of dating websites.
Who is interested in online dating and why?
Given the opportunity to meet offline having plenty of free time, the trend for online dating is quite natural. Those who previously used dating websites and applications continue to do so. And those who ignored them before are finally giving dating websites a chance.
There are several categories of people who became active on dating websites:
- Those who had no free time before. Quarantine and forced self-isolation gave people the most important resource – time, even to those who are working in the usual mode but from home. They do not spend time getting to and from work and often perform work tasks much faster. Many people finally got the opportunity to arrange their personal lives. Dating websites have become a real salvation for them.
- Workaholics, temporarily out of work. There are many people who forget about their personal lives due to having so many job duties. They rarely think about starting a family and living for themselves. The disappearance of work tasks or the decline in their volume demonstrated that life is not only about work. The lack of a loved one nearby encourages a person to find a soulmate.
- Extroverts who are forced to stay indoors. Many people cannot imagine their life without constant communication. They want to see friends more often, discuss interesting topics, meet new people. The pandemic took this opportunity away from them. It is not surprising that such people visit dating websites, video chats, instant messengers and social networks to compensate the lack of communication. It is natural.
Also, there is a lot of those who register on dating websites out of curiosity when “they have nothing to do”. It’s hard to sit for weeks confined within four walls. TV shows, computer games and funny memes on the Internet become boring too quickly. Therefore, people are looking for something new.
Tinder and others: the increase in popular dating services audience
Tinder is one of the leaders in online dating. The resource reports about the positive dynamics of user activity during the period of self-isolation. The service representative in an interview with DW said that the number of messages in the US Tinder segment increased by 10-15%. In Italy and Spain this number is even greater – 25%. In addition, the duration of the chats has increased on average by 10-30%.
Representatives of other popular dating apps, Bumble and Plenty of Fish, also shared their observations. They emphasized that the largest surge in user activity occurred in countries where a full or partial lockdown was introduced.
In 2019 Bumble platform introduced the new in-app calling feature. It became quite popular at that time. But amid the pandemic, the number of people who took advantage of it increased by another 20%. What concerns Plenty of Fish, the resource decided to expand the functionality. In particular, the function of live-streaming has appeared which allows you to see each other in real time.
Why do people meet online if they have no opportunity to meet in real life?
The temporary inability to turn online communication into a lively face-to-face conversation is a drawback. But it does not stop users. For many of them, this is even an advantage. You are not in a rush, it is better to find out what a potential partner is like, to get to know him/her better. A real meeting will certainly take place. And the abundance of time allows you to prepare well for it.
By the way, the popularity of dating websites and dating apps had a positive effect on the statistics of other services. For example, many users take their communication into a video chat format: they call up in Zoom, FaceTime, Skype and other services.
There are even those who perceive all these changes positively. For example, shy people. They are not ready to meet in person after short online dating. They need to get to know a person well, to cope with awkwardness when talking, to get comfortable. And now they have much more time before a real meeting. So even during quarantine it is possible to find plenty of advantages.
Will dating websites popularity decline after a pandemic?
Of course, yes. When people will be able to freely move, travel, see friends and relatives, their interest in dating websites will decrease. The decline is likely to be 5-7%. But most analysts are confident that overall statistics after isolation will be better than before. There are several factors impacting this:
- Those who normally use dating websites will continue to do so. These resources are akin to social networks and instant messengers for them. They will not change their habits.
- Many of the “newbies” will stay. Having discovered the convenience and value of online dating, very few will consciously stop using them.
- The number of those who find a soulmate on the Internet will increase. And this only stimulates the interest of other people in this format of communication.
Some popular dating websites already say they are seeing a slight decline in activity. Mostly in regions where quarantine is weakened. But even so, the overall growth dynamics of online dating is still positive.
If for some reason you have not yet used dating websites and applications, quarantine is a great time for this. The audience of resources has grown rapidly. So, the chance of finding an interesting person and even a future partner is only increasing.
About the Author
Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.
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