Maybe COVID-19 lockdown was not so good for your relationship, and suddenly distancing yourself from your beau, did not work well for your relationship. Or could be that your time back home with your parents, made you realise that your current was not 'the one'. And now that the lockdown is done and dusted and you are ready to move back to living alone, you are thinking about giving online dating a chance.
Online dating might not be as bad when you think about all the time you get to explore and interact with all the fish in the sea. There is no pressure of meeting in-person, and who knows, maybe you will find someone new. But as easy as it may seem, there is a lot to learn before you jump into that pool.
For one, the online dating world has its own manners and etiquettes. This world has also managed to develop a language that is widely understood, only by online daters.
Until now, movies set standards for the dating world. The huge romantic gestures, calling cute names and taking a trip - were all given to us by rom coms. But as dating evolves, more so after a series of lockdown. There are some updates you need to catch up on.
The Bridge Chronicle brings you a list of dating trends, that could help ease your entry back into the dating world. And also prepare you for possible (bad) experiences.
Slow-dating: After 2020, there has been an overall interest in forming meaningful connections. People are increasingly avoiding toxic or superficial friendships and relationships. And this comes as good news for people who are not looking for casual hook-ups. According to Bumble, 78 per cent of single Indians felt they needed to trust the person they met online, before meeting in-person.
New Dawn Daters: As mentioned earlier, if you are newly single and are willing to give online dating a shot, then 'New dawn dater' is you. It is not necessary for you to actively refer to yourself as one. But according to reports, the pandemic induced a wave of new dawn daters, as 46 per cent of couples parted ways during the lockdown.
Whelming: So let's suppose you are now an active online dater and have connected with a few of your matches. Maybe a few of them have also caught your attention, and you are looking to invest more time in them. But somehow someone is taking a lot of time to get back. Maybe because it's not their priority or they have matched with one too many. If so, then whelming is something to beware.
Dial toning: If ghosting wasn't bad enough, meet dial toning. An equally annoying friend ghosting made, upon its entry into the dating world. If you met someone and exchanged numbers, but the person wouldn't reply -- its dial toning.
Waldo-ing: It happens on Instagram too. Sometimes, you follow someone, but there are way too many group photos, and it is hard to spot the person you are following. Mindy you! Online dating apps aren't void of them. It is hard enough to skim through all the (possibly) eligible people and waldo-ing make it harder.
Online dating always has been inviting, and a few find their forever beaus there. And even if you don't, it's worth a try. However, being cautious doesn't hurt.
