It wasn’t that long ago when dating was upended by apps like Tinder and Bumble. Now, it seems, dating has morphed yet again due to the coronavirus pandemic. Not only are there health risks to consider, but we’ve also had to contend with the lack of human connection in a time of mandated isolation. Will dating ever be the same again? And what will dating look like two years or five years from now?

Online dating and video dates are here to stay.

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For a start, if you weren’t on dating apps before the pandemic, you probably got on one during it or will most likely be on one in future. Just as people have turned to the digital realm for social interaction, so too has dating shifted entirely online. It’s why video calls have seen a surge in usage and are here to stay.

When it became more difficult to date in person, video calls, including through dating sites like Farmers Only, became a convenient way to “pre-date”. Without leaving the comfort and safety of your bedroom, you could gauge if the potential for chemistry was worth developing further before actually meeting. For security reasons, video calls through dating sites like Farmers Only are also a great way to minimize catfishing and verify that the person you’re seeing is indeed who they say they are.

But real life romance can never be replaced.

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That said, online dating has always been about eventually finding love IRL. Video can only achieve so much after all. Even when the pandemic was at its worst, many were willing to flout social distancing rules by going on outdoor walking dates, for example. If anything, this only emphasises how virtual dates can never substitute physical closeness and the act of sharing an in-person experience together.

Scientists, too, are uncertain about how much virtual communication can satisfy our hunger for human connection. After all, heavy usage of dating apps has been found to promote social anxiety due to the seeming overabundance of choice.

Activities for singles will make a comeback as an alternative to online dating. 

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Some dating experts have speculated that when the pandemic is over, we will swing towards the opposite end of the spectrum and experience an age of excess. Perhaps we’ll experience screen fatigue by then and feel liberated enough to turn up in droves to eat, drink and date. After all, history is on our side: The Roaring Twenties quickly followed the end of World War I. Possibly, alternatives to online dating like dating events for singles could see a real comeback. Remember when you could mingle with other singles at a bar?

Even before Covid-19 hit, dating events were already experiencing a resurgence of interest, in response to “dating app fatigue”. As a dating agency, we’ve seen singles turning to dating events to meet new people beyond the swipe.

Right now, it’s easy to forget our disillusionment with Tinder when it’s all we have. But that may very well change when this is all over. At least we’re crossing our fingers in hopes of true romance, preferably offline.