2020-2021 has been a turning point for the dating industry in many ways. The very principles of searching for a soulmate online and offline, the requirements for a potential partner, and even people’s approach to dating in general has changed.
For example, recently, representatives of the dating app Bumble said that they are noticing a trend towards "dry dates" — the refusal of alcohol on dates. 54% of users surveyed admitted that they take dating more seriously than before, and therefore refuse alcohol. This, in turn, influenced the choice of days and times of day for offline dates. Contemporaries began to meet more often on weekdays, and in the morning or afternoon. And less on weekends and evenings.
However, “dry dates” are not the only recent trend. We thought we’d tell you about some more interesting dating trends that we’re seeing right now.
Slow dating
The pace of communication during the pandemic has dropped significantly. No one wants to go on a first date immediately after meeting and take communication to a new level straight away. Now, online communication can last for weeks, and no one is in a hurry to meet offline. The primary reason is fear for their health due to the pandemic. But we'll talk more about this later. Secondly, everyone understands that rushing to build a strong relationship isn’t the best way.
In 2020 a team from The Truth conducted a small study. It turned out that before the pandemic, dates (both offline and online) lasted an average of three hours. But now more than 83% of those surveyed say that this is not enough for them and that they would like to communicate longer in order to get to know the person better.
Long meetings and online dating are a really important and useful trend. They help people become more liberated, get to know the other person, understand each other better and make the right decision faster — whether to continue developing the relationship or to move on.
Opting out of searching by type
You may be surprised, but now about 72% of dating app users refuse to get hung up on any particular type, as they used to be. This has been said by representatives of Badoo, who conducted surveys among their users.
Before the pandemic, many people sought a match with a certain type, which they considered the most suitable for themselves. Now people are looking for more variety and want to meet more often with unexpected partners. In this way, they get out of their usual comfort zone and give a chance to relationships that could not have happened before. And it works! No wonder they say that opposites attract. Sometimes it turns out that the perfect match is made by completely different people.
Vaccinated status
Obviously, because of the pandemic, people have become much more concerned about their health. And not everyone is ready to meet offline with the first person they see on the Internet. It is also interesting that many dating sites encourage this. For example, Tinder added vaccination status to profiles. You can go to a person's profile, see if they have been vaccinated against Covid-19, and make sure that they will not infect you with the coronavirus when you meet. Of course, all this does not work perfectly, but showing this status is better than not doing so.
Many modern dating services even offer vaccinated users' free access to premium features. Not a bad incentive to get vaccinated for those who still have doubts for some reason.
Communication via video chat
In an effort to expand their acquaintances and at the same time not expose themselves to unnecessary risks, people are increasingly turning to video chat on platforms that connect random people via video link.
Omegle video chat comes to mind first. This is a good option for several reasons: there is a large and active audience, there is a language filter and search by interests. On the other hand, Omegle still has no mobile apps, mediocre moderation and no gender filter.
If you want to get more features and interesting opportunities from video chat, we suggest you consider alternatives to Omegle. For example, OmegleAlternative.com is a video chat with females with an excellent gender filter and high-quality moderation. ChatAlternative, thanks to the built-in message translator, will appeal to those who like to communicate with foreigners. And in Monkey.cool, you can arrange a double date or even start a group chat and chat in company. In a word, there are a lot of options and finding a worthy alternative to Omegle will not be difficult.
Interest in the internal life, not in wealth and social status
According to a number of surveys conducted in 2022, only 20% of users of Omegle and alternatives are looking to find a partner with a good job. And with their own house — even less. In other words, the emphasis on wealth is no longer so strong.
Furthermore, 60% of respondents said they dream of finding a person with whom they will have fun. And another 30% admitted that it is important for them to know that a potential partner is completely healthy and does not pose a threat to their health.
Of course, these figures differ markedly depending on the country as well as the age group of respondents. But overall, the tendency is exactly as we have described. Financial situation no longer plays such an important role as before, and that’s very good!
Dates with… bots
Yes, this isn’t a joke. Because of the overwhelming feeling of loneliness, thousands of people in the world have begun to communicate with chatbots. These bots use artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to answer questions and engage in meaningful conversations. Some of them are so perfect that the average person is practically unable to understand that they are communicating with a program.
Of course, this cannot replace live communication with a person. But on the other hand, on chat bots, you can “test” some topics of conversation, practice communication, or just have an unusual time.
Interesting fact: In 2014, a bot was created that was the first to pass the Turing test for humanity. In the guise of a boy called Zhenya from the city of Odessa, it managed to convince a whole jury of specialists that they were communicating with a living person, and not with a program. So if you suddenly thought that AI will never be able to deceive you and that you will immediately notice the difference, then we might have to disillusion you. Most likely, you’ll not even suspect that you are communicating with a computer program.
Dating as you think of it is changing fast
If we summarize all the trends, we can draw one important conclusion: people have become more serious and thoughtful in their approach to dating. Not only online, but also offline. Now no one is in a hurry to move from online to offline as soon as possible, go on a live first date and develop relationships rapidly. Most prefer to get to know a person as well as possible, find common interests, understand their worldview and evaluate their character. And only after that, move on to a real meeting.