Written by Anonymous Student (Medicine, Class of 2023)
COVID-19 has had devastating effects on all population groups, however, an unanticipated effect was the pandemic’s impact on online dating. For many individuals, the pandemic’s social distancing restrictions have further amplified pre-existing sentiments of loneliness. (1) To combat this, hordes of people have tried to reinstate human connections within their life by entering the online dating universe to establish social bonds. This phenomenon was further confirmed by the recent boom in the online matchmaking market, with Tinder’s revenue spiking by 15% in a three-month period, and Match Group’s other platforms (Hinge, Plenty of Fish, OkCupid) also experiencing a 9% growth. As CEO Dubey said, “this increased user activity reinforces [the idea] that humans need to connect [during this pandemic].” (2) As more and more individuals attempt to find solace and comfort online, it becomes a question of whether online dating will become society’s new normal, or whether it is merely a temporary set-up that will be abolished with the relaxation of social distancing restrictions.
To truly understand the pandemic’s effect on dating, one must have a thorough comprehension of online dating itself. A marked rise in online dating has been observed in the past decade, with it being attributed to the increase in the number of dating platforms developed. Tinder alone has amassed 57 million active users from 2012 to 2017, with its launch followed by many more dating apps. (3,4) One would assume that with an increased number of potential matches available online, a significant increase in long-term relationships would be noted. Unfortunately, this assumption cannot be further from the truth. On Tinder, the chance of finding a match that converts into a relationship is relatively low, with a 10% chance for women and an underwhelming 0.06% for men. (5) Other studies claim that an increase in online dating success has been observed in recent years, with 39% of online daters (12% of all American daters) having married or been in a committed relationship with someone they met through an online platform. (5,6) In contrast, Aditi Paul noted that the breakup rates for both marital and non-marital romantic relationships were found to be higher for couples who met online as compared to couples who met through offline venues. (7) With such heterogeneous statistical data present in the literature, the true potential of online dating remains uncertain with numerous boundaries existing in relation to mingling on a digital platform.
As Finkel et al. stated, dating apps have been notorious for facilitating profile deception and objectification of potential partners. It has become the “norm” to over-embellish one’s personal profile on online dating apps. This initially may not be considered a problem as it can be attributed to a user’s need to depict their best-self to the public and inevitably downplay any potential short-comings. However, with apps personalizing the user’s experience by recommending matches based on profile similarities, the over-embellishment of profiles becomes a more significant problem. There is a higher chance for either individuals to match with incompatible individuals, overlook matches or worse, not even be presented specific individuals for matching due to the profile dissimilarities. Consequently, although individuals may believe they are presented with an increased number of potential matches, they may only be truly compatible with a few, similar to matching offline in the real world. Another considerable limitation is the side-by-side browsing that facilitates the quick judgemental assessments of partners, leading to the objectification of potential matches. Conversely, users may even be overwhelmed with the multitude of apparently “perfectly compatible” individuals being presented to them. This may lead to further disappointment when individuals meet in real life, as their expectations might not match reality due to profile over-embellishments or judgemental assessments. (5,8) Surprisingly, with the pandemic underway, the benefits of online dating have been highlighted.
In the past, it was standard to seek out a monogamous relationship as opposed to contacting multiple partners. In recent times, with online matchmaking sites facilitating users to engage with multiple individuals, the urge to proceed to develop long-lasting connections is often lacking. If the initial communication between two individuals is not ideal, the conversation is often abandoned. Moreover, individuals often have the pressure of not only impressing their match online, but also in-person. With high, and often unrealistic, expectations and nerves accompanying face-to-face meetings, it comes as no surprise that individuals might not want to pursue a long relationship since there is always another match available on dating sites. Dr. Karantzas claims that COVID - 19 is the opportunity for individuals to go “back to the future.”
With the pandemic restricting social meetings, it reduces the pressure of having to meet face-to-face. It forces individuals to learn more about one another, attempt online dates with interesting themes and further develop their relationship without the pretense of impressing the individual in person. Hence, individuals may tend to communicate with fewer matches in hopes of developing a longer-lasting partnership, similar to the past. (5) Furthermore, as individuals become familiar with virtual chatting and video calls due to the pandemic, online dating sites have become more favored in the eyes of the public. (9) Similarly, dating platforms have utilized this shift towards virtual engagement by adapting their existing platforms to include video chat features as well. (10) Although some remain skeptical of the longevity of the relationships created amidst quarantine, sources are hopeful that with this forced increased duration of courtship period, a more meaningful and long-lasting relationship can be achieved. (11) Ultimately, ‘Quaran-dating’ is a true testament to the unshakeable spirit of humans to attain meaningful connections no matter the conditions.
References
Rokach A. COVID-19 and loneliness: Can we do anything about it? [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2020Sep8]. Available from: https://www.elsevier.com/connect/covid-19-and-loneliness-can-we-do-anything-about-it
Manzocco N. One industry not suffering due to COVID-19: dating apps [Internet]. The Georgia Straight. 2020 [cited 2020Sep8]. Available from: https://www.straight.com/living/one-industry-not-suffering-due-to-covid-19-dating-apps
Cardona F. The Rise of Online Dating, and the Company That Dominates the Market [Internet]. Visual Capitalist. 2019 [cited 2020Sep9]. Available from: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/online-dating-big-business/
How Couples Meet and Stay Together [Internet]. How Couples Meet and Stay Together | SSDS Social Science Data Collection. 2009 [cited 2020Sep9]. Available from: https://data.stanford.edu/hcmst
Karantzas G. Online Dating in a COVID-19 World [Internet]. Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers; 2020 [cited 2020Sep9]. Available from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-science-love/202004/online-dating-in-covid-19-world
Anderson M, Vogels EA, Turner E. The Virtues and Downsides of Online Dating [Internet]. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. Pew Research Center; 2020 [cited 2020Sep9]. Available from: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/02/06/the-virtues-and-downsides-of-online-dating/
Paul A. Is Online Better Than Offline for Meeting Partners? Depends: Are You Looking to Marry or to Date? Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. 2014;17(10):664-667. doi:10.1089/cyber.2014.0302
Finkel EJ, Eastwick PW, Karney BR, Reis HT, Sprecher S. Online Dating. Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 2012;13(1):3–66.
Ferreira J. How COVID-19 lockdowns are changing online dating [Internet]. CTVNews. CTV News; 2020 [cited 2020Sep9]. Available from: https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/how-covid-19-lockdowns-are-changing-online-dating-1.4905273
PCMag. How COVID-19 Is Changing Dating Apps and Relationships [Internet]. Medium. PC Magazine; 2020 [cited 2020Sep9]. Available from: https://medium.com/pcmag-access/how-covid-19-is-changing-dating-apps-and-relationships-290961b82253
Sigalos MK. Why the coronavirus might change dating forever [Internet]. CNBC. CNBC; 2020 [cited 2020Sep9]. Available from: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/25/why-the-coronavirus-might-change-dating-forever.html