Picture this scenario. As your phone lights up, a feeling of excitement enters your body as you receive a long awaited Tinder notification. Your fingers race to your keyboard, logging into your phone as soon as you can to check your new boo that you finally matched with! This is the moment you have been waiting for, matching with perhaps the love of your life. You’re pondering whether you should send your new bae the cutest pickup line, or just wait for them to message you. However, to your dismay, there’s one detail that you forgot about.
You forgot about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which means social distancing until further notice. You won’t even get to meet your new match soon, which kills most of the excitement. You put your phone down, refusing to message your new match because it isn’t even worth it.
Let’s all face it — we’re in the midst of a life-changing pandemic. Coronavirus has changed our everyday lives, causing college students and non-essential workers to stay at home. Flattening the curve has been the main priority for most Americans, and the online dating industry has taken an abrupt halt. Multimillion dollar companies like Tinder and Bumble have urged against users meeting up in person to help flattening the curve.
So, how does this impact the powerhouses of the online dating industry, like Tinder and Bumble? According to a Forbes article, Evercore analyst Benjamin Black thinks that “[Revenue and profit] are going to come down. No one really knows by how much.” Taking a powerful hit, the inability of these users to meet will affect the revenue produced by the online dating industry.
OK, so what can singles out there looking for love do to still feel connected to their boo? Long story short, you already know that quarantine isn’t great. If you’re a single looking for love, it can be quite challenging to find the one over dry conversations. To spice things up a bit, take the following tips to win over your match while staying healthy and safe inside your home!
1. Use Zoom Calls
Zoom has become the new fad across America, with professors, teachers and college students using it to complete their remote learning. Zoom can also be used to have a virtual date with your new boo! Setting up a Zoom call is so easy and takes less than 5 minutes. If you want to win over your new match, invite them for a wine night over Zoom. Light a candle, put on some cute, yet comfy clothing and you’ll have your ideal virtual date!
No worries if you’re not into Zoom calls — try Bumble’s video and voice integration feature. According to MarketWatch, a spokesperson from Bumble claims that “engagement with these services is up 21%.” Be bold and try it out!
2. Use Tinder’s Passport Feature
In the midst of all of this, Tinder has provided users with something special: the free passport feature. Originally just for Tinder Gold users, the passport feature allows users to change their location to match with other singles in different cities. For college students, this is an ideal feature. Being able to connect with other students in your college town is amazing and makes users feel less isolated.
3. Use This Time To Redo Your Accounts
There’s always that one photo on your online dating accounts that is from at least two years ago. So, try to change things up a little bit! Add in a recent photo that makes you feel like your best self, or change up your bio to attract new matches! Changing up your accounts will give you a refreshed mindset about online dating.
“Once the pandemic grew more serious, and the 14-day social distancing period went into effect, my matches had changed their profiles almost entirely,” Reyanna, a student from Toronto, said in an article from Flare. “They added more wholesome photos, and their bios were more affectionate. They’re engaging in deeper conversation, and speak as if we’re long-term friends.”
4. Inspiration From TikTok: Try It Yourself
Trust VALLEY on this one — TikTok is addicting. With hundreds of thousands of new videos uploaded to the application every single day, TikTok has been the new application to share your quarantine stories.
Jeremy Cohen, a freelance photographer in New York City, has recently gone viral for his remarkable story about falling for a girl in quarantine. He went out to his deck and saw this beautiful girl dancing to a Tik Tok song, then he had the best.idea.ever. He attached his number to his drone, then flew it out to her — talk about a romantic gesture! The couple then wanted to have dinner, so they decided they would have dinner apart, but from their balconies where they could see each other. Cohen showed how you can still go above and beyond, even in times of struggle!
Now, you don’t have to fly your drone over to your cute neighbor’s apartment, but maybe look outside and try different ways to communicate with that cute girl or boy next door! Taylor Swift did it best in her “You Belong With Me” music video, so take a look outside!
5. Take The Old-Fashioned Route
Old-fashioned romance is what everyone dreams about, so try it out for yourself! Spice things up and talk about your goals, dreams and hopes in life by writing letters to each other. You’ll be surprised at how much you can connect with your new boo and will make your meetup so much sweeter.
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