Ship says group chat messages exploded 60% nationwide in the past week. Group messages first started ramping up in Seattle when social distancing rules were enforced. They skyrocketed in New York shortly after similar rules were put in place—with messages more than doubling in frequency in the past seven days alone.
OkCupid has also reported surging engagement and messaging among millennials. People are talking more through the app—and they are talking about coronavirus. OkCupid saw a 188% increase in coronavirus mentions on dating profiles between January and February. People being people, cringeworthy virus pickup lines are starting to proliferate. As in: “Are you the coronavirus? Because you take my breath away.” And random hookups are fast being replaced with weeks-long virtual courting, complete with cootie paranoia and forced chivalry.
The coronavirus itself even has a mock dating profile, which tells users its hometown is Wuhan, China—the epicenter of the outbreak—and that its major turn-offs are face masks and doctors.
Match hasn’t yet revised its forecasts. The Dallas-based company is monitoring the situation “but can’t comment definitively on what impact we are seeing,” a company spokesperson says. Its star performer, Tinder, is also mum on member activity. However, the app, synonymous with a “hookup culture” on college campuses, is urging users to be cautious. “While we want you to continue to have fun, protecting yourself from the coronavirus is more important,” Tinder told to its 5.9 million global subscribers, advising that they wash their hands frequently, carry hand sanitizer, avoid touching their faces and maintain social distance in public.
Amsterdam-based The Inner Circle was created for working professionals willing to pay a premium to attend exclusive events, such as cocktail-making classes, jazz nights and ski trips, to meet verified matches. Co-founder Michael Krayenhoff says the virus has presented a wholly unromantic dilemma for the business. “We had to make a decision as a company to cancel all our events and refund everyone,” he says.
As the pandemic worsened, Inner Circle members began turning to phone calls and video chats. During the first week of March, they were exchanging phone numbers and sending messages about “FaceTime” and “Skype” about 30% more often than a month earlier. This led the company to actively promote virtual dating ideas like “Self-Isolate and Chill,” a play on “Netflix and chill,” a euphemism for sex. “It’s about two people putting on the same television program at the same time, then calling to talk about it as they watch,” Krayenhoff says. “I think that has something very exciting or romantic to it.”
LGBTQ dating service Grindr published a notice to users on its app advising them to follow World Health Organization best practices. “The health and safety of our users is a top priority for Grindr,” a spokesperson says. Bumble, a dating app where women make the first move, has also been trying to educate its members. Last week, it published a blog post written by Stanford University epidemiologist Seema Yasmin about how to date during a pandemic. “Your best bet would be to meet in a public place that isn’t too busy, like a park, and stay three to six feet apart,” Yasmin wrote. “If you turn up to find your date coughing and looking unwell, you can advise them to practice good cough hygiene then politely get out of there.”
--With assistance from Sarah Syed and Crystal Kim.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.