Starting in 2020, the dating industry began to change and modernize very quickly. The reason is obvious — Covid-19 and related quarantine restrictions. Of course, dating sites and apps have been popular in the past, but now interest in them has become especially pronounced.
Today we want to take a closer look at how the online dating industry is changing right now and why these changes have come about, as the situation is very specific to our times..
7 new trends in dating
Trend 1: WanderLove
Ipek Kucuk, an expert of dating service Happn, was one of the first to talk about this trend. According to him, WanderLove is an online dating trend that is most similar to a “holiday romance.” That is, acquaintances which initially may not have special prospects, but later develop into a serious and strong relationship.
Now that quarantine restrictions are no longer so strict, people are starting to travel the world and look for new acquaintances in other countries and cities more actively than before the pandemic. This is actually a very positive trend.
Trend 2: Choosing an emotionally stable partner
Maintaining emotional stability and calm against the backdrop of everything that is happening in the world is very difficult. And any emotional breakdowns definitely do not benefit the relationship. Therefore it is not surprising that people are trying to look for potential partners who are able to keep a cool head and a sober mind in difficult situations. Yes, it can be difficult, we all understand this very well. But nothing is impossible, and after all the trials and difficulties, something good will surely follow.
Trend 3: Rejection of “your type”
A couple of years ago, users of dating sites and applications tried to find potential partners who exactly matched their personal preferences and character type. Now, many have moved away from excessive rigor and no longer set any sort of rigid framework. On the contrary, they try in every possible way to expand their circle of potential acquaintances and consider a variety of character types. Some have even completely rethought the approach to finding the perfect match once and for all.
Trend 4: Acquaintances with health care
The coronavirus pandemic has forced millions of people to take their own health much more seriously and not expose it to unnecessary risks. This fact has been taken into account by many dating services. For example, Tinder and its rivals have added vaccination status for users. Now, right on the user’s profile, you can see whether they are vaccinated or not. Unfortunately, this is not a 100% guarantee that a person has actually been vaccinated against Covid-19, but the trend is positive anyway. Among other things, dating sites offer additional features to vaccinated users for free. This is a good motivator to get vaccinated for those who have not yet done so.
Trend 5: The desire to save time
Many people have already realized that classic dating sites and apps are very often a waste of time. Endless swipes, profile views, attempts to make contact, thousands of bots and fake accounts — all this interferes with full-fledged dating and only takes up precious time. Realizing this fact, many people prefer instead of classic dating sites to use camchats — services that connect random users via video link.
A striking example of a modern web cam chat is https://videochat.chat/camchat/. The site connects men only with girls, which saves a lot of time. And there are no fakes and bots here, because girls must pass identity verification. In addition, Videochat.chat has excellent moderation. Another good example is Chatrandom. This webcam chat is in many ways similar to VideoChat.chat, but the gender filter does not work as effectively here, and sometimes you can find fakes and bots. One of the interesting features of Chatrandom is themed chat rooms, in which many participants can communicate at the same time. An excellent solution for those who are still embarrassed to get acquainted face-to-face.
Trend 6: Time increase for dates
Quarantine around the world has given people extra free time. This has allowed us to meet and communicate without undue haste. Video dates are no longer five minutes long. Now they may well last an hour or more. People tend to get to know each other better, and find common ground and common interests.
Among other things, the video meeting format itself has changed. Now it’s not just a video call. People watch movies together, take each other virtual tours on Google Maps, play online games together, and more. We are sure that we’ll soon see a lot more new online dating formats.
Trend 7: Finding a partner with the same interests
This trend has been observed before, but right now it has become especially visible. There are many dating sites and applications for a specific audience. For example, you can easily find dating sites for vegetarians and vegans, for pet lovers, for religious Christians, for those interested in astrology, and so on. Almost anyone today can find a dating site by interest. Of course, the audience here is not as large as, for example, on Tinder or Badoo. But finding like-minded people on such services is much easier.
Online dating has changed forever
In just a couple of years, online dating has changed more than in the previous five years. Internet users began to approach online dating in a more conscious and balanced way, the dating sites themselves have implemented many new features. And yes, their numbers have increased significantly. According to current data, there are more than eight thousand dating services in the world. And this is without taking into account cam chat sites, of which there are also thousands.
What will happen next?
We’re sure that further metamorphoses of the web dating industry will be observed in the near future. New dating sites and live cam chats will appear, and the existing ones will continue to expand their functionality. Many will probably try to focus on VR and AR technologies. This trend has already been observed, and in the future it will only grow. A lot of interesting things are waiting for us, so we’ll follow the updates and keep our finger on the pulse!
