The Future of Dating is Hybrid by Erica Pandey
(Link): The Future of Dating is Hybrid
Social distancing popularized video dates — and they’ll outlast the pandemic.
The big picture: Dating is expensive, and many people are deciding they’d rather meet virtually first in case it doesn’t work out.
By the numbers: The average American spends a total of about $700 annually on dates, according to a 2019 LendingTree study.
“But the pandemic was a jolt to our systems,” says Logan Ury, a behavioral scientist and the director of relationship science at Hinge.
“Video chat was normalized, and it’s only natural that it would extend to dating, because dates can be really costly and time-consuming.”
So just as people are now saving time and money on commuting and eating out with hybrid work, they’re saving money on those first-impression drinks and dinners via hybrid dating.
…What’s next: The pandemic may be turning more people away from hook-up culture and toward serious dating. About 75% of Hinge users say they’re looking for a relationship.
“During the pandemic, people had a lot of time alone to think about who they are, what kind of relationships they’ve been in in the past, and what they want in the future,” Ury says. “Now there is really this feeling of, ‘I’m not going to wait around.'”
Related:
(Link): What The Pandemic Has Done for Dating
(Link): Dating Apps Partner With White House to Incentivize COVID-19 Vaccines
(Link): Tinder Is Giving Away Pairs of COVID Tests to Get People to Go on Actual Dates Again
(Link): Stop Telling Your Single Friends to Try Dating Sites – Please.
(Link): 8 Signs Being Single And Not Dating Is The Right Choice For You, According To Experts
(Link): DOJ: Online Dating Scam ‘One Of The Largest Of Its Kind’ (August 2019)
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