Date-from-home: Singles prefer to mingle virtually than IRL

Forget work-from-home, the pandemic has us dating-from-home, too! According to a new study conducted by an online dating platform, 33% single Indians are using video dates to get to know each other better before meeting up IRL (in real life).

- Divya Kaushik

Not only does this save them from the physical risks that come with stepping out during the pandemic or interacting with a total stranger, but also the awkwardness or boredom that’s a byproduct of a bad first date!

‘VIRTUAL DATES ARE LESS RISKY FOR WOMEN’

In July last year, Smriddhi Singh*, a 25-year-old management professional, tried online dating for the first time during the pandemic. She says she was comfortable doing so because no one would ask to meet her in real life anytime soon. “For women in India, online dating is mostly tricky and safety is an important factor. We all have heard so many cases of someone being catfished, first meetings going wrong and so on. For these reasons, I stayed away from online dating, but last year out of sheer curiosity I wanted to give it a try. I was sure that I would only restrict myself to video calls. It is safe, as you always have an option to disconnect and block the person if you don’t end up liking him/her. I think like me, there are many women in India who prefer virtual dating when they are meeting someone on an online dating platform, just because it is less risky than meeting a stranger in real life,” she says.

In September last year, a study by OkCupid mentioned that 38% women confessed that they would like to take things slower and have more virtual interactions even in a post-pandemic world, versus 25% men.