The New World of Dating

May 14, 2021

Hey hopeful romantic,

Now that the world is opening back up and the vaccines are rolling out, dating is actually a thing people can start doing again (though I know plenty of people have already started (or never stopped)).

While you all know I’m not single, I’m beyond interested to hear what people’s experiences are. After going through a global pandemic, I doubt dating will be the only aspect of our lives not affected by a year of isolation and maks.

Dating will be altered; potentially forever. But in a good or bad way? Well, that depends.

Virtual and outdoor dates can relieve a lot of dating fatigue.

Before the pandemic, you had to get dressed, drive to the date location, spend at least an hour or two with your date, and pay for whatever date activity you did just to figure out if you even liked being around someone.

But now that FaceTime and Zoom dates are normalized, you can vet people from the comfort of your home.

Someone who’s just looking for a hookup will be less of a thing.

I can’t say if that’s a good or bad thing; it depends on your goals for dating. But if you want a serious relationship, you may rejoice over the notion that dates will be more precious and people will be more conscious of their health and safety.

Ghosting will probably get worse.

Let’s be real. A lot of people ghosted each other lives when the pandemic hit, and I’m not just talking about romantically. Friends faded away when the quarantine made them realize they didn’t have much else in common besides going to bars.

So, unfortunately, ghosting will be easier to do. But maybe morally, people will value human connection more? I guess we’ll see.

People will have higher standards.

We had over a year to think about what matters most to us while spending time alone in our apartments, avoiding Zoom Happy Hours.

That includes deciding what did and didn’t work in relationships and fantasizing about the kind of relationship someone wished they had. While higher standards might mean more rejection, it also means less time wasted.

It might be tempting to overlook red flags.

After being forced to spend a year single, you may be itching to get into a relationship. This means you’ll be more likely to jump all in with the first person you grab drinks with.

But please don’t overlook things like they don’t believe in wearing masks or hate cats even though your tabby is waiting at home for you. It’s tempting to overlook red flags or signs you’re a bad match, but I implore you not to.

More people understand a relationship takes work.

A lot of people broke up during the pandemic. Either they realized how hard a relationship actually is when you’re constantly with someone, or they just didn’t want to do the work with that person.

And even if they were single, maintaining friendships and family relationships through a pandemic probably showed them they need to put the effort in.

This week’s activity: Is there a way you think dating has changed that I didn’t mention? Or is there a point I made that you’re most excited/worried about?

If so, hit reply and let me know! I read everyone’s emails and try to write back to everyone that I can.

Until next week ❤️

All the love,

Kirstie