Much has already been said about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s psycho-emotional state. The dangerous virus poses a threat beyond health, it also creates a lot of new difficulties for people today. Social ties are weakened and lost, people become more independent, suffer from loneliness, fall into prolonged depressions and cannot get out of them for months.
But is it really that serious?
Really no. Contrary to the decline of in-person social contacts, their number has increased on the Internet. In fact, very significantly. For example, in late 2020, Tinder sources confirmed an unprecedented volume of users on the app. In just one day, users registered a new record, three billion profile views.
Other Internet dating services have also shown colossal growth rates:
- OkCupid — 700% more matches on the platform from March to May 2020.
- Bumble – 70% more in-app video calls and 32% longer duration of those calls.
- Omegle Video Chat – 300-400% more connected users in 2020-2021.
It is impossible to dispute the fact that the internet dating industry is currently experiencing a boom that has not been seen for at least the past 5-10 years. Apparently, this growth will continue, as the end of the pandemic is not yet in sight and flirting in person seems less promising every day.
It is not surprising that at this time the trends of Internet dating began to actively change. We want to talk about these new trends in detail today.
Contents
Trend #1. video calls
Before the coronavirus pandemic, making a video call on a dating app was a bonus rather than a required feature. When almost the entire planet had to go into lockdown, people realized that writing in a chat was not the most comfortable way to meet someone and communicate. For this reason, video communication services such as Skype, Zoom, Google Meet and others have grown in popularity.
Dating platform developers responded quickly to user requests and hastily implemented video calls in apps. Tinder, Bumble and other market leaders are among the first to offer video calls. Other less popular platforms have also followed suit. Additionally, brand new apps with a focus on video calling such as The Sauce, Jungle, HILY, Qemistry and others have appeared.
Trend #2. video dating
In fact, this trend can be attributed to the previous one, but ordinary video calls and video dates are slightly different things. Some developers have even used the classic speed quote format for their apps. A good example is The League app, where you have 3 quick dates in 9 minutes. If both parties like each other, it is possible to continue the communication beyond the 9-minute limit. Other platforms not only offer the virtual date, but also select the topic of conversation, which makes it easier for users to find a common language and have a good time together.
The best alternatives to video calling and video dating on dating apps are chathub.cam, coomeet.com, chatspin.com, omegle.com and others. These platforms allow you to chat with random users from all over the world. There are almost no restrictions, but there are tools to search users more precisely based on their gender, location, interests, and more.
Many popular video chats have seen very active growth during the pandemic, from 20-30% to several hundred percent. Considering it’s no longer a new communication format on the Internet, this growth seems very telling.
Trend #3. Privileges for vaccinated users
Today, in many countries around the world, there are active policies aimed at vaccinating as many people as possible against COVID-19. However, there is no pressure, on the contrary, these are just means of encouraging the population.
Dating apps have also joined this initiative. For example, Tinder offers payment functionality to its vaccinated users and there is a tag on their profiles that identifies them as vaccinated.
The only problem is the lack of strict control over whether users are actually vaccinated. Therefore, you should not trust these labels 100%. In any case, it’s a good initiative that can be an incentive for some to get vaccinated.
Trend #4. Free advanced features
Continuing the previous trend, free feature for vaccinated. Tinder gives a “Super Like” to vaccinated people, Match members have their profile boosted and Badoo users, after their vaccination, can access a large number of paid features.
Other popular platforms have followed similar paths: Bumble, OkCupid, BLK, Chispa, Hinge, and Plenty of Fish. OkCupid developers have done this in an interesting way. Users who are vaccinated or who intend to be vaccinated receive up to 14% more matches than those who have not yet planned to be vaccinated.
Of course, this is a temporary measure that is only relevant when the number of vaccinated people in many countries is still a minority.
Trend #5. Dating platforms as a way to make new friends
Who said dating sites and apps were just for finding a partner? Right, nobody. Users have become aware of this recently. This not only caused the number of users to increase, but also their work was adjusted. For example, on some dating platforms, you can specify the purpose of your search: relationship, sex, friendship, etc.
So you can immediately tell if you are only looking for friends and not a partner. This simplifies research and opens up a whole new range of possibilities. Most users are looking for a partner, but there are also many who are simply looking to expand their circle of friends. So, if you notice a lack of communication with your friends and are looking to find new interesting people, try searching for them through dating websites and apps. Believe me, you will be pleasantly surprised at how many people look like you. Many pleasant moments await you!
Trend #6. The phenomenon of flirting loyalty on the Internet
Five or 10 years ago, less than half of Internet users considered online dating to be a positive phenomenon. For many, having a profile on a dating site was awkward. People used photos of other people and changed their names so that no one could find out their true identity. Others skipped dating platforms outright.
Now, fortunately, the situation has changed for the better. More than 60% of people today agree that flirting online is not only normal but good. The biggest confirmation of the effectiveness of internet dating is that approximately 17% of marriages that occur today are the result of internet dating.
Let’s do a little summary
The internet dating industry is changing very rapidly. This can be seen even by those who do not actively use dating platforms. Objectively speaking, the changes caused by the pandemic are quite positive. Here are some of the reasons:
- The number of users on dating platforms has increased a lot. In fact, he has grown a lot.
- Users have become more interested in dating prospects and are generally more loyal to online dating.
- Internet dating apps, websites, and video chats are actively implementing useful new features that users could only dream of recently.
- Free functionality is growing. The great competition forces the owners of dating platforms to make their offer more attractive.
- Moderation of users of various services has become an order of magnitude greater than before. This is largely due to the growing number of users and the growing number of scammers who have targeted the Internet. It is worth mentioning that the fight against the latter is carried out quite effectively.
Of course, the world is already tired of the pandemic, quarantines and all the restrictions, but you and I are lucky, we can meet and communicate with people through the Internet. This communication becomes more comfortable, safe and easy to do than in real life. Therefore, enjoy meeting new people!