We’re all inside. We’re all watching far too much TV and I’m sure some of us are eating far too many biscuits. And it’s becoming very evident that a lot of people are on dating apps, certainly more than usual.

In fact, this week a friend shared an article with me that said, “On the last Sunday in March, there were more swipes on Tinder than any previous day in the history of the platform – more than three billion across the globe.” Emmet McGonagle, Campaign.

That’s a lot of restless fingers.

And over the weekend, the Daily Mail reported that Illicit Encounters (an app for people seeking affairs) has seen an 18% spike in the site’s activity since the lockdown began.

As a dating app veteran, I’m interested to find out whether online dating is more fun now there’s no possibility to meet for quite some time, or whether it all seems rather futile. So I’ve been talking to my single friends.

The advantages of dating during a pandemic

• Socially anxious individuals need not fear meeting up with strangers for a date. Online dating has just become more digital: video dates are the norm.
• If you’re single, it’s a good way to pass the time once you’ve finished the few books you haven’t read, watched everything you fancied on Prime, Netflix and Sky and when you don’t fancy “up-skilling”.
• There’s a lot of time to get to know each other before going on a date. Friends have said they’re enjoying talking to potential partners for a few weeks prior to organising a meetup, especially as there’s no other choice. They reckon we’re moving away from instant gratification in dating and returning to a time of “courting” a date.
• Video dates offer an insight you don’t usually get on a first date. You can see your date’s house and bedroom and determine whether they’re a bookworm or a slob. Similarly, friends have said they’re more relaxed on a video call as they’re in the comfort of their own homes.  We’ve all felt a bit funny before a first date, but how do these nerves shift prior to a Skype or Zoom date?

The disadvantages of dating during a pandemic

• At the moment, there’s not much to talk about. Conversations run dry almost as soon as they’ve begun.
• Single friends who live on their own say they’re “desperate for human interaction” so their standards drop and they speak to people they wouldn’t have pre-Covid.
• Many friends said dating during a pandemic is “awful – don’t do it!” Reasons vary from being self-conscious on camera to feeling anxious, stressed and uncertain about the quarantine.
• Some profiles have been made to stave off boredom in a lockdown. How do you decipher who genuinely wants to message and arrange dates and those who are just passing the quarantine?
• What if we really like someone? We have to wait a while until we meet them. Can we maintain the conversation for a few weeks or months before we’re released into the wild? And when we finally get back out there, will everyone leap into each other’s beds or will social distancing be in the back of our minds and we’ll feel reluctant to touch others? Will the awkward moment of a first kiss become the awkward moment when you’re close to each other?

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