Interestingly, during the pandemic, many people began to value their time more. No one wants to go on pointless dates, waste evenings on useless and monotonous chatting, or endlessly browse apps that ultimately lead nowhere. And this is a paradox, because many people had plenty of free time during quarantine.
We decided to examine some of the current trends in the online dating industry and at the same time suggest how to save time while looking for a soul mate.
New trends in online dating and how they are changing the entire industry
According to the popular Bumble app, more than half of internet users view online dating positively. Before the pandemic, there were far fewer of them. However, the change in trends brings both positive and negative consequences.
- Plus — more people interested in meeting others. In some services, the audience has grown significantly. Moreover, it now includes representatives of various age groups — from young people to older adults. And that is certainly a huge advantage.
- Minus — finding and matching with the ideal partner is becoming even more difficult. This disadvantage follows directly from the advantage. The more people there are on a site, the harder it is to find someone who suits you. As a result, the choice is enormous, but you also have to spend more time looking for truly interesting potential partners.
The solution to the problem of having too many users is to use niche dating sites
Interest in niche online dating platforms has grown sharply over the past few years. Yes, the audience here is much smaller than on popular Tinder or Badoo. But finding people with similar views and interests is much easier. For example, Tindog — a dating app for dog owners — or Vegetarian Dating — a dating site for vegetarians.
There are many examples. These platforms are precisely what help save a lot of time and connect you only with people who potentially suit you better than the rest. Give it a try!
The goals of dating-site and dating-app users have become clearer
Before the pandemic, there were far more users of dating sites, but many of them did not really understand what they needed. Some registered out of curiosity, others simply wanted to find new friends, while still others were looking exclusively for a sex partner. This was always very troubling, because when you began communicating with a new person, it was impossible to predict what they might want. On the other hand, expectations were unclear as well. As a result — wasted time and completely different goals.
During the pandemic, the situation began to change. More and more online dating services started offering users the option to state their goals immediately: friendship, relationships, sex, communication only, etc. In addition, users can indicate what they expect from others. This helps people find common ground much faster and save time. This trend even has its own name — hard-balling.
Many experts have already mentioned this tendency. For example, bioengineer and relationship expert Logan Urie, speaking to the BBC, said: “Because people spent too much time alone, they are now dating more intentionally.” He emphasized that people today have become more honest with themselves and others. They are ready to speak openly about their goals and preferences, value honesty more, and become more honest themselves. And this is definitely a positive trend for society as a whole, not just for the dating industry. The time savings are obvious!
Random video chats suddenly became very popular again
In a sense, this point is a continuation of the previous one. In video chats such as Omegle and its alternatives, users’ goals are clearer. Above all, people want to communicate with interesting individuals, discuss current topics and possibly take the relationship to a new level in the future.
Omegle video chat and its alternatives have a very important advantage over classic dating sites and apps. They save a significant amount of time. Here, you do not have to browse dozens of profiles, send likes or approvals, or exchange text messages endlessly. You simply enter a video chat site, and the system immediately selects a conversation partner for you.
Of course, it is difficult to call Omegle video chat perfect. It has many shortcomings and technical problems that have not been fully fixed even after years of the service’s existence. Fortunately, there are many alternatives to Omegle: ome.tv, omegletv.chat/pl, chatrandom.com, bazoocam.org and others.
What distinguishes them from Omegle includes:
- gender and geographic filters in most of them;
- a mobile app for convenient communication;
- more precise searches for conversation partners based on interests;
- modern design and a pleasant interface.
If for some reason you have not used random video chats until now, focusing instead on dating apps and portals, we definitely recommend trying them. You will be pleasantly surprised by this format. And you will save a lot of time.
Are all trends exclusively positive? Not necessarily!
Against the backdrop of truly positive and important trends in the dating industry, we found one very negative one. This tendency has even been called Benching. In the simplest terms, it can be described as follows: people look for new acquaintances with the prospect of a romantic relationship while already in a relationship.
One reason for the Benching trend is that many couples, trapped within four walls for a long time because of quarantine, suddenly realized that they were not compatible. At the same time, they do not want to end the relationship immediately, instead seeking an alternative first — trying to find a potential partner online, get to know them and start talking...
This is a serious problem, because such a “relationship on hold” can last for months, and sometimes even years. Everyone suffers as a result, wasting valuable time in uncertainty and trying to find out what the person really wants.
Let us hope that Benching remains a thing of the past and is completely eliminated soon. Otherwise, it will continue to wreak havoc on the dating industry and spoil the dating experience for ordinary users.
And finally: 7 simple tips for saving time on a dating site
- Fill out your profile in as much detail as possible and add current photos. This will help other people get to know you better.
- Do not treat correspondence as the basis of communication. Try to move to video calls or at least phone calls as soon as possible.
- Never give someone false hope if you are completely certain that your relationship will not work out. By doing so, you only waste their time and your own.
- Be more decisive. Make a list of the character traits and interests your chosen partner should have. This will also save time in the future.
- Do not delay an in-person meeting. The longer you wait, the less likely it is that the meeting will take place at all. Restrictions are not as strict today as they were before. You can go together to a restaurant, café or the cinema.
- Remember the 3–5-message rule. Usually, this number of messages is enough to understand whether someone is right for you. If your correspondence is too boring, strange or unpleasant, do not waste time on it. Nothing good will come of it.
- Remember to be careful. The internet is still quite a dangerous place, with scammers and blackmailers, as well as many other suspicious people. Therefore, do not neglect the basic rules of safe online communication.
And finally: try all types of dating services. The more services you try, the greater your chances of success become. We wish you good luck in your search and only the most promising encounters online!