The hunt is on, cyberdating taking the game to next level

Ajay Joshi

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 10

Plenty of things have changed during the lockdown, so has the dating game. Since stepping out and meeting new people is totally out of question youngsters these days are trying their hand at social media and digital applications to find companionship. Isolated at home, curbs apparently aren’t binding the long lost search for love as the idea of “Jab We Met” has turned into “Jab We FaceTime!”

Although, trust and long term commitments are up on the list of the singles before choosing their match, casual hookups, as always, have not gone off the table as well. Sans social activities and planned weekend outings with friends, satisfying their love interests seems to be the only option for singles, especially above the age of 25 years.

Krishang Arora (26), a law graduate, who interning at a private law firm in Delhi, was initially happy that the lockdown has given him some quality time to spend with his family here. A resident of Urban Estate Phase-1, Sharma didn’t know that the lockdown would take a toll on his other relationships. He says: “When in Delhi, I had enough time to meet my girlfriend, who I met six months ago. But when he returned here after the announcement of lockdown, phone and text remained the only options to remain connected.” But the extended period of restrictions, the misunderstanding also stretched between them. The delay in replying and unattended phone calls soured their relation and trust issues added to the mix. “Subsequently, we preferred to give it a break and resume once the situation normalises. Later on, I started using Bumble to interact with different girls who would match my temperament. After selecting a bunch of girls and sharing my thoughts, I’m now clear in my head that what I’m actually looking for in my soulmate,” added Arora.

Since march, computer dating ruling till date

Notably, apart from Tinder which was earlier seen as the only available app to find love, Ok Cupid (Find my Kind), Tantan, Bumble, Hinge, AndWeMet, Coffee meets Bagel, Aisle and other such applications are popular among locals here to catch up with singles like them.

“As per my parents I’m now eligible for marriage and I should start looking for a partner, but I don’t know what would my partner be like,” chuckles Pooja, a teacher, the 23-year-old adds, “Hence, my friends suggested me to use dating apps as I will only get to interact with people. There won’t be any rule to meet and greet and it’s safe during lockdown to date virtually.”

However, the use comes at a cost. “After a use of over 20 days, I feel I am getting addicted to these dating apps as there are a lot of people to share opinions with,” she says. But having met some people that match her needs and all, she cannot wait to meet them in person. ”I even met some eligible ones whom I’m surely going to meet when the virus’ wave settles!”, Pooja shares.

As per the official statistics, Over 90 per cent of the Indians on online dating platform OkCupid stated that they would continue dating virtually during the quarantine. Indeed, there has been a 26 per cent spike in conversations on the platform and 12 per cent in matches in the country since March, the second-highest jump globally on both fronts. Similarly, the officials of AndWeMet, a matchmaking platform for singles above 25, quotes: “There has been a surge in number of users, but fake profiles increased too. However, with the help of strict signing up process that demands id proof, fake ID’s were weeded out.”

Meanwhile, matches on other platforms increased by 10-20 per cent worldwide. Besides the swiping options, various new features were also introduced by the dating apps operators like digital calls, face time interactions, passport features and others to make them lockdown friendly.

“The lockdown has changed the way of socialising and dating scenario is no exception. Gladly, online mode is here to see new people. You can see and chat with the people from all over the world. Also, to make it secure, a lot of popular dating apps have profile verification feature to prevent users from cat fishing and fake profiles,” says Karanvir Singh, a resident.