Love Knows No Bounds, Literally
The pandemic is reinvigorating the online dating scene one match at a time
In the digital era, the days of showing off your charm at a bar in hopes of randomly meeting someone are numbered. According to a 2019 sociology study, heterosexual couples were more likely to meet through an online-dating service than through personal contacts and connections. It’s not that many of us aren’t as suave as George Costanza. The reality is, during times where societal norms on marriage are changing, young adults are taking their time to focus on personal growth and financial security before putting a ring on it. In tandem with delaying marriage, the rise in online dating has given people the chance to explore dating options well beyond their traditional social circles, a luxury many baby boomers and Gen Xers didn’t have before. With nearly 240 million people on dating apps and websites, it’s never been a better time to get yourself out there, find a match online, and go out for dinner.
Or, at least, that was the case before the start of the new decade.
Since then, we’ve seen the world flipped upside down. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry decided to call it quits with the royal family. Mr. Peanut died via Twitter announcement at the age of 104. TikTok became the world’s most downloaded app. And there was Covid-19.
Many of us were not prepared to be stuck within the confines of our homes for 77 days (and counting). While we found ourselves wrapped within our blankets suffocating into our couch nights on end, we became enamored and well-versed into using our devices to spice up the social scene at home. I’m speaking of making 13-person Zoom calls, setting up virtual happy hours, and swiping up (on TikTok) and right (on Tinder). It’s in our blood to crave companionship. It’s in our nature.
Regardless of how much we desire to physically reconnect with society, we still have a ways to go before we can comfortably go back to shaking hands and giving bear hugs. When human touch is removed from the equation, it’s only then that we realize how much of technology we sometimes take for granted.
Take Tinder, for example. The advantages of Tinder can be stripped down to its simplicity in function; that is, swiping left or right. Pre-coronavirus times, the dating app long reflected the fickleness of the singleton. The swiping culture made it easier to connect with one another. Yet, it also made it easier to meet, disappear, and move on to the next match. Many who tried seeking companionship online would leave the experience feeling frustrated. This false sense of engagement made matches seem shallower and more “disposable”.
Nowadays, singletons rely on these apps to stave off social isolation. Online swipers are showing a greater appreciation for their matches from home in hopes of kindling meaningful connections. On Tinder, the number of conversations increased by 20% and the average length of a conversation surged by 25%. Hinge is seeing a 30% increase in messages. Evidently, people are actually taking the time to get to know each other at a deeper level.
And this trend has been persisting well beyond online messaging. Users are willing to take their virtual dating experience to the next level by bypassing all the nuances of modern texting and showing their face and voice in-real-life (IRL). According to Hinge, 70% of its users expressed interest in using video chats to build connection; this accelerated the rollout for their latest feature, “Date from Home”. Bumble cut straight to the chase and introduced in-app video chat and voice call features last July. Tinder and Facebook Dating plan to release their own features within the coming weeks.
To further break down the virtual boundaries, Tinder also announced that it will roll out a free feature that will let users match with others outside their geographical vicinity. So, if you’re frustrated that someone whom you recognize keeps returning to haunt your screen, you can soon test the Global Mode in hopes of finding your dream spouse from Sweden. The elimination of a location filter not only takes a nod to the immediate uncertainty of our times, but it proves that dating doesn’t necessarily require meeting face-to-face. As long as the online dating experience continues to be entertaining and pleasant for both parties, we’ll start to see more consumer engagements with new features and innovations.
A great example that reflects today’s predicament is the Zoom Bachelorette. The concept was a spoof of the cult American reality TV show “The Bachelorette”. In this streamed quarantine phenomenon, 12 suitors vied for a singleton’s heart over the course of three hours. The suitors got creative and did everything from making homemade pizza to showcasing their wit on camera, all while livestreaming the event to viewers on Twitch for $15. Sadly, at the end, the final suitor didn’t end up proposing (since it was all in good fun), but the minds behind the show did raise more than $31,000 in donations for Feeding America. The validity of this concept proves that the future of virtual dating could involve more video chats, less geographical barriers, and even a matchmaker behind the scenes. Maybe, there could even be a bigger buy-in, from hopeless romantics to girlfriend guys, to livestream and monetize a sustainable virtual dating reality show in the future.
Another example that can encourage social engagement is through vertical innovation. As traditional dating apps continue to one-up each other with similar at-home features, dating apps like Itsme are taking the dating experience in a creative direction. I recently downloaded Itsme, and its concept is definitely tasteful.
Once you create a profile, the app will generate a customizable 3D avatar of your face. You then meet and greet others as your avatar. The kicker? You spontaneously get thrown into a video chat with your matches. It keeps the engagement alive and interesting (if you’re good at thinking on your feet). If you hit it off with your match, the app lets you connect on Snapchat, where you can see your match’s IRL face.
Another innovative feature used in dating apps like Blindlee is the blur. In today’s selfie culture, it has become commonplace to mask different parts of our identity through filtered pictures. Of course, looks and profiles can be deceiving, and it doesn’t take daters long after the initial conversation to determine how they feel about their match IRL. By blurring the picture or video call of a match, it makes the dating process more transparent and less biased towards appearance. Plus, the mystique of the person can be entertaining in and of itself.
As we enter the “new” normal, it’ll be interesting to see how dating apps evolve over time. Regardless of how technologically advanced we are, we still have the innate desire to build genuine relationships. Dating apps of the future will have to experiment beyond video chat and build out safe, interactive features to lure in new users. The days of pure text banter won’t be gone. Yet, with the right amount of innovation, dating platforms can reinvigorate how we interact and bond virtually.
Originally published from Issue #9 of my newsletter E-MERGE.
E-MERGE is a newsletter about and for the consumer of tomorrow. To help you discover the latest technology trends, I take a deep dive into some of the week’s major headlines and investments that have profound implications on the future of consumption.
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