Communication

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, dating app OkCupid is seeing a surge of user activity across the globe.

In a recent blog post, the company shared some interesting statistics – including a 900% increase in mentions of “coronavirus” and “social distancing” on OkCupid profiles between February and March. And this translates to user activity as well. OkCupid reported a 20 percent increase in conversations and a 10 percent increase in matches globally as people are messaging and going on virtual “dates” in increasing numbers.

OkCupid also reported a 30 percent increase in messages since the beginning of March when people began to isolate at home. Women in particular are reaching out more than ever – they have increased the amount of first messages they send to matches by 40 percent.

Image: hinge

Dating app Hinge wanted to get people meeting IRL back at the beginning of March. This promotional effort offered $100 to users who take a break from the app for one day to go on a date.

For those who wanted to cash in, Hinge required users to go on a date on Friday March 6th and discontinue using Hinge for the next 24 hours. The date the company chose coincided with the National Day of Unplugging.

According to Yahoo! Fianance, users were given a simple set of instructions to follow: log in to the app to set up a date for March 6th. At 4:00pm EST on that day, users were instructed to open their apps and hit “pause your account” before closing the app. Hinge asked that they note the time, because the app will need to be paused for a full 24 hours in order for the user to qualify.

A revealing new study of digital sharing revealed that over one quarter of Americans continue to log in to an ex’s social media accounts after a break-up.

Cyber security company SpecopsSoft.com surveyed 2,568 participants from across the country and found that we still like to know what’s going on with our exes online. The most common account that respondents admitted logging into is Instagram, with 69 percent saying they have done so within the last week. Fifty-eight percent of respondents have logged into an ex’s Facebook account in the same time period.

Remember the days of standing in line for coffee and striking up a conversation with the cute girl standing in front of you? And maybe you asked her out on a date? If you are single and living in Britain, you probably don’t.

A recent study found that almost half of British singles have never asked someone out on a date face to face. In fact, the trend of meeting potential dates has moved online, to the point where people prefer having a conversation over text rather than in person where things could get awkward or uncomfortable. Most singles meet eligible dates over dating apps and social media, which means they have little incentive to practice real life face-to-face conversation.

The study was commissioned by U.K. food brand Grace Say Aloe, a manufacturer of beverages. Researchers surveyed 1,500 single adults in the U.K.

Elvis sang, “A little less conversation, a little more action please.” But according to a recent survey from Plenty of Fish, today’s singles are looking for exactly the opposite.

Conversation Nation, the largest study ever conducted on the subject, asked more than 2,000 singles across the United States to weigh in on the importance of conversation in the search for love. Sixty-five percent called conversation a lost art, yet a whopping 90 percent of singles surveyed said they would rather talk all night on a first date than have sex all night.

An increased dependency on social media and digital devices has changed the dating landscape forever. Now, instead of locking eyes from across the room and timidly saying “Hi,” many singles are starting relationships by swiping right and sending strings of emojis. Sixty-one percent of singles believe the rise in technology usage has impacted our ability to have meaningful, face-to-face conversations.

Despite that discontent with the quality of modern communication, singles still rely heavily on conversation to connect. Nine out of 10 respondents identified a good conversation as the gold standard for a great date, while only one in 10 gave sex that coveted position.

Tinder has a reputation as a hook-up app, but what about people who want to find lasting relationships? Should they look elsewhere, asking friends to set them up or striking up conversation at a bar instead of going online? How does Tinder really compare to people who meet the old-fashioned way – in real life?

A new study (commissioned and released by Tinder) shows that contrary to stereotypes, many people use Tinder with the intent of finding a relationship. And for those who prefer the real life approach, who proclaim it to be more genuine or organic, it seems this is not the reality, either.

Thanks to Tinder, we may now have a glimpse of what daters really want.