Webex, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and FaceTime seem to have taken over the world. It’s been almost a year since the pandemic ransacked the world and diminished everyone’s future plans. With restaurants, museums, theaters and essentially any imaginable meeting place restricted by new safety measures, it has become increasingly difficult to have a meet-cute. Chances of ‘accidentally’ running into a clumsy girl in the street, finding an empty seat next to a handsome guy on the train or catching a glimpse of someone cute in an elevator are even more slim than they used to be. As expected, when everyone turned to the wonders of technology for work, school and social life, they turned there for dating as well.
The social scene for students now is far from normal. For those who decided to live on campus, there are basically no campus activities where one could find a romantic interest. Commuters may be even more limited, with no roommates or neighbors to interact with. Let’s not forget about the students who are quarantining in their rooms. Two weeks alone in a room can get very boring. As a result, a wave of college students revisited or created new online dating profiles. Tinder alone became the top grossing dating app and the third top grossing app in the world last year. Tinder, Bumble and Hinge are among the most popular ones, although there are several other dating apps to choose from based on background, occupation, relationship preference and more.
Before the pandemic, dating apps were considered somewhat taboo to some, especially students. With a strong focus on location, they made people question whether they would be recognized by their acquaintances on such apps. “What if someone I know sees my profile and thinks I’m desperate?” one might worry. In a world that craves human interaction and a return to normalcy, such questions lost all value.
“During the pandemic I downloaded Bumble because I knew a lot of my friends have had success on Bumble,” Maria Buffolino, an accounting major, said. “I also downloaded Hinge … needless to say, both of them had very interesting … men on them,” she continued. However, her experience has not been as great as one might think. When asked to give advice to other Johnnies in regards to using dating apps, Buffolino plainly stated, “Delete the dating apps.”
The wave of swiping has not been that great for other students either. Online dating in a pandemic has proven downright annoying for some.
Sophomore business major Constantine Lascarides, who has been active on dating apps recently, has not had the best of luck with some of his matches. Despite this, he offered some advice to other students. “All I can say is you gotta play it smart,” Lascarides said. “… A lot of the girls on Tinder seem to be picky.”
Senior marketing major Alexis Carlos does not think the pandemic is the only reason to use dating apps. “Honestly, if dating is a priority in someone’s life, I think dating apps are a great way to ‘meet’ people and talk, before meeting up in person, effectively lowering exposure to strangers,” she said. “For me, I just didn’t consider this a priority over quarantine.”
Dating apps seem to present a tried-and-true medium for minimizing boredom, but not so much in finding a meaningful relationship. However, for many they seem to be the only way to meet people during the pandemic, so what is there to lose in swiping left and right?
