Most single Indians believe they can fall in love online
The time spent in lockdowns has allowed people to focus on what they are truly looking for while dating, giving them a renewed sense of confidence
The pandemic has changed our lives, especially how we communicate with each other. Whether it's about going to work, or planning a date, the past year made us adapt to our new normal. There's no regular day at the office anymore and things have certainly stayed busy! My husband and I are both fortunate enough to be working from home - our jobs involve the computer and a lot of zoom calls, so we could continue working through the pandemic. He sometimes makes a guest appearance on my team calls—it's a wonderful way for my personal and professional worlds to overlap just a bit! We get to take breaks together when we’re warming up lunch or grabbing an afternoon coffee—it's nice to see each other during the work day!
We are all coping with the new way of staying connected to people while being physically away during these trying times. However, I feel the pandemic also brought people closer in some way, it has taught us to cherish and celebrate meaningful human connections. Our Bumble success stories in India—how people found love during the pandemic, in the middle of lockdowns even—show us just that.
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Indians wear their heart on their sleeve, virtually
The time spent in lockdowns has allowed people to focus on what they are truly looking for while dating, giving them a renewed sense of clarity and confidence in taking control of their dating lives as they meet new people. Through Bumble’s recent research, we found that people are now dating more intentionally than before the pandemic – they’re being more honest about what they’re looking for in a relationship, whether it’s something casual or serious. There has been a positive shift in the way that people are viewing online dating following a year of social distancing measures. It’s no surprise that people have adapted to new ways of communicating and dating to find and explore meaningful connections during the pandemic. In fact, Bumble’s recent nationwide survey (featuring 2,000 people in the age group of 18-35) post the second wave of covid-19 showed that 72% of single Indians believe they can fall in love with someone even before meeting in person!
Virtual Dating Is the Normal Way of Dating in India
Virtual dating is the new normal in India now, as single Indians continue to find love and meaningful connections virtually during this time. As more people make connections virtually, meeting someone online is now more normalized than ever before. Per our recent nationwide survey, half (50%) of the single Indians surveyed claim people are no longer ashamed to say they met on a dating app. People are more open to talking about having met their partners online. This has in-turn led to an evolved online dating ecosystem with new norms of setting boundaries and finding innovative new ways to build connections.
2020 and 2021 altered our lives in many ways, especially our social lives which have been completely overhauled. More than anything, these unprecedented times have shown us all the power of human connection - we’ve all learned how to show love, compassion, care and happiness towards one another in creative, thoughtful, and virtual ways. We’ve all realized the importance of new and existing relationships - and most importantly, that one can successfully find love online even during these challenging times!
Priti Joshi is vice-president of Global Strategy and Operations, Bumble.
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First Published:24 Aug 2021, 08:30 AM IST
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