Dating

Dating app Hinge teamed up with US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to talk about safe dating practices during a pandemic, specifically as we gear up for “cuffing season.” Murthy stresses that dating and interpersonal connection are important, so it’s good to have some tools for doing it safely.

The six-minute video captures Murthy behind an official podium as he offers specific tips for daters meeting face to face. He advises daters to get vaccinated before meeting others, which is the “single most important thing we can do” to prevent serious side effects or even death from Covid-19. Then he advises singles to ask their dates if they have been vaccinated too, so that the risk of meeting is low for both parties.

Murthy also asks people to plan an outdoor date if at all possible to reduce risk of transmission, and also to do rapid (same day) testing to ensure neither one of you is positive and to prevent the spread of the disease further. 

Green dating is becoming a trend among UK daters, according to a new study by dating app Bumble.

In recent months, Bumble added a feature for daters to include values in their profiles, not only to highlight their priorities to other daters, but also to support a cause, including for environmental, social or political justice. Each time a user sends a message to another user, the company will donate to select organizations that work for these causes. 

According to Bumble, 27 percent of UK users selected “environmentalism” as their highest value.

The attitudes of Indian singles towards dating, sex and intimacy are changing as a result of the global pandemic. Interestingly, their parents’ attitudes are shifting along with them.

According to Mint, a recent survey of Bumble users pointed towards this cultural shift, with 34 percent of respondents from India saying they were “more open to exploration” when it comes to sex, ahead of users in the U.S., Australia, Canada and the U.K. This finding was part of a larger study of users across different countries taken over the summer, including over 2,000 participants from India.

A majority of Indians – 65 percent – said the pandemic has changed their approach to sex and intimacy. Almost one in three respondents (33 percent) said they have started living with someone they met on a dating app since the second wave of Covid hit India in March and lockdowns began, according to Mint.

Tinder India has created and released a new film for its users about consent and what it looks like in modern-day dating culture. The purpose of the new film Closure is to spark conversation among daters and to help them create healthy boundaries. 

According to Business Insider India, the film centers around a young woman named Ria and her estranged ex-boyfriend Ved. The film starts with the two of them meeting on a beach and flashes forward through their budding romantic relationship. Then the movie cuts to a disturbed Ria and confused Ved sitting across from each other after some time has passed, having a difficult conversation about what drove them apart. We soon learn that Ved didn’t ask for her consent on their last night together. “You didn’t say no,” he insists, where Ria says “but I also didn’t say yes. I wish for once, you had asked.”

Ved later asked if she was seeing anyone, and it flashes to her budding new relationship with a man who does the things she longed for Ved to do – he asks permission before he kisses her or holds her hand. She also exercises more power in this new relationship by voicing what she wants, something she realizes she didn’t do while she was dating Ved. She has moved onto a happier, healthier relationship. 

Dating app Match is beta testing some new features geared towards those interested in more “emotionally mature” relationships, an indication that the longstanding dating platform aims to cater to more serious daters.

According to Tech Crunch, the features are centered around two big frustrations with daters in their thirties who are ready to settle down: how long it takes to find a good match, and how pervasive the problem of ghosting has become. One feature called “Matched By Us” provides recommendations like a matchmaking service based on more in-depth questions the users are prompted to answer. The company is also testing an anti-ghosting feature that pushes users to continue a conversation or unmatch with that person, so that they aren’t left wondering what happened. 

Matched By Us presents one free match every week (available for both subscribers and non-paying members), where the couple can start up a conversation immediately without waiting for mutual likes. The matches are made through an algorithm that examines answers to questions posed to users, like their five-year plans or whether they are open to relocating for a relationship. 

OkCupid has debuted a new global ad campaign “Out of Home” (or OOH) to celebrate people meeting in person again - but with a focus on inclusivity.

The creative was developed by Italian artists Maurizio Cattelon and Pierpaolo Ferrari in partnership with creative agency Mekanism, and features colorful depictions of OkCupid daters in celebration of their individuality. Website The Drum also noted that the new campaign is also a nod to the diverse user base on the platform. 

One ad reads “tree hugger” and features a tree growing out of a dater’s boxer shorts, watered by someone off-camera with a watering can. “Every single vaxxer” features a couple kissing, their tongues becoming one. And another reads “every single cuddler” with a couple embracing with multiple arms. Each of the ads has bold coloring and a rich array of ethnicities, genders, and sexual preferences.