Courtney Vinopal Courtney Vinopal. When California issued a stay-at-home order back in March to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Dana Angelo, a year-old copywriter at an ad agency in Los Angeles, found herself with more free time. So, out of boredom, she turned to a social activity she could still do from home: She got back on the dating app, Bumble.
But something surprising happened this time around: She actually met someone she genuinely likes. After texting for a few days, she organized a virtual date via FaceTime with the match she liked, chatting over drinks for about two hours.
The third time, their FaceTime date was over brunch, for about four hours. Eventually, they took the step of meeting in person with a walk in his neighborhood — albeit keeping a 6-foot distance, with her dog in between them. It has actually improved her dating life. And most importantly, they have something to talk about. Not everyone, though, is keen to get into online dating, even if spending more time than usual alone at home has made some otherwise happily single people reconsider their feelings about finding a long-term companion.
Not to mention that the pandemic has ushered in mass unemployment, higher levels of stress, greater strain for single parents and worries about fatal risks from stepping outside your door — factors not necessarily conducive to romance. While some have sought solace on dating apps, others are looking to online communities to connect with those who are also having a hard time, or focusing on friends and family who were already part of their life before the coronavirus.
Still, some daters looking for a relationship in the time of social isolation are finding opportunity. The popularity of online dating has grown immensely over the last decade, and is now the most common way that couples in the U. The number was even higher for same-sex couples that year, 60 percent of whom reported meeting online in Fifty years ago, a global pandemic might have hindered single people from connecting with prospects through their family, friends or faith communities.
