Renee Darbonne
North Bureau Chief
As the threat of COVID-19 becomes more imminent nearly every state is requiring its residents to remain inside and practice social distancing. As time progresses, people around the nation are getting more frustrated from staying inside. Dating is difficult within itself and trying to find love during a time of quarantine has made it come to a stalemate. Despite the pandemic, people are still looking for a connection through any means possible.
People are getting more direct with their advances as they yearn for social interaction. Jeremy Cohen posted a TikTok documenting his interactions with his neighbor. He saw her dancing on a rooftop nearby and after waving at her he used his drone to send her his phone number written on a piece of paper. She responded an hour later.
Google Arts and Culture have partnered with thousands of museums around the world so even though a great multitude of people cannot physically go to the museum they can go on a date and take a virtual tour. This works for museums outside of one’s city as well. Broward College students can choose to tour museums like Norton Museum of Art or the Boca Raton Museum of Art which are closer to home or venture across the sea and explore the National Gallery of Prague.
Tinder and Bumble have issued warnings and are sharing tips on virtual dating and have joined the group of apps adjusting to the new restrictions.
Amid the COVID-19 panic, there are few options for single college students who wanted to find a partner. OKZoomer is a new application that connects college students from over 200 schools across the nation for online Zoom dates. Taking advantage of the video-conferencing app that colleges and universities are using to host their virtual classes. Students are finding hope and love in a time of intense isolation.
Through in-app surveys, the dating app Coffee Meets Bagel, has gathered that 17 percent of U.S. users have had voice calls with their matches and 9 percent have had video calls. This willingness to interact on a more personal level my change the scene of the online dating world long after COVID-19 and may change the face of online dating.
Another new app, Quarantine Together, has launched with great success. Every night at 6 p.m. they ask their users if they have washed their hands. If the answer is yes, they are redirected to another user who has also said yes and after 15 minutes are sent a link to video chat.
With the number of COVID-19 cases rising and continuing to do so, dating app developers do not want people to give up on the potential of meeting new and interesting persons. Therefore, this may be the best time for many to connect with others and find love.
darbr4@mail.broward.edu
