{"id":19365,"date":"2020-05-15T09:30:16","date_gmt":"2020-05-15T04:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak?p=19365"},"modified":"2020-05-14T12:19:36","modified_gmt":"2020-05-14T06:49:36","slug":"the-safest-sex-youll-never-have-how-coronavirus-is-changing-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/the-safest-sex-youll-never-have-how-coronavirus-is-changing-online\/","title":{"rendered":"The safest sex you\u2019ll never have: how coronavirus is changing online"},"content":{"rendered":"

dating March 31, 2020 3.38pm AEDT<\/p>\n

When Tinder issued an in-app\u00a0public service announcement<\/a>\u00a0regarding COVID-19 on March 3 we all had a little laugh as a panoply of memes and gags hit the internet.<\/p>\n

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Linds<\/span><\/span>@lindzsIay<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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tinder out here protecting me from corona virus more than they\u2019re protecting me from bad pickup lines and weirdos<\/p>\n

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28<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Twitter Ads info and privacy<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
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Two weeks later the laughter has subsided, but the curiosity continues. How will singles mingle in the time of Corona?<\/p>\n

We are entering unprecedented dating territory.<\/p>\n

Luckily, dating apps have already taken the \u201cface-to-face\u201d out of many first meetings. A study conducted by\u00a0YouGov and Galaxy in 2019<\/a>\u00a0indicated 52% of Australian singles had used a dating app to make a romantic connection.<\/p>\n

Usage was particularly high for single Aussies between 25 and 34, with 60% having used a dating app to make a romantic connection.<\/p>\n

But while these people first made the connection online, for many (if not most), the connection eventually moved to real-life. So what now with social distancing?<\/p>\n

We still want to connect \u2026<\/h2>\n

People are still opening their dating apps.<\/p>\n

Between March 5 and 10, OkCupid reported a\u00a07% increase<\/a>\u00a0in new conversations, and at the time of writing, ten out of the top 100 apps on the iTunes store were dating apps.<\/p>\n

During the second week of March, active users on Bumble\u00a0rose by 8%<\/a>. As American cities go into lockdown, apps are reporting increased numbers of messaging: on Bumble from March 12\u201322, Seattle saw a 23%\u00a0increase in sent messages<\/a>, New York City 23% and San Francisco 26%.<\/p>\n

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An in-app message for Hinge users.<\/span>\u00a0Screenshot\/Hinge<\/span>,\u00a0Author provided<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a time of spatial distancing, dating apps present a solution \u2013 to boredom, for connection \u2013 and also a risk. What responsibilities do dating apps have in relation to hook-ups and meet-ups and social distancing, if any?<\/p>\n

Dating apps continue to serve public service announcements in-app, as well as encouraging people to use their chat and video functionalities to continue exploring potential relationships.<\/p>\n

Social media points to another interesting trend: people are changing their interaction patterns in dating apps, or dating app discussions are becoming corona-centric.<\/p>\n

There has been a\u00a0188% increase<\/a>\u00a0mentions of coronavirus on OkCupid profiles in March. Indian\u00a0Tinder users described a rise<\/a>\u00a0in longer Tinder conversations. Which made many question if COVID-19 marked the return of\u00a0Jane-Austen-like-courtships<\/a>?<\/p>\n

In the Jane Austen romance world, a protracted courtship might involve a spate of love letters. Today, it\u2019s video chats and direct messages.<\/p>\n

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Sam Scott<\/span><\/span>@samuel_w_scott<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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#<\/span>QuarantinePickUpLines<\/span><\/a> Just because we’re socially distant doesn’t mean we have to be emotionally distant.<\/p>\n

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Twitter Ads info and privacy<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
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To match this new phenomena, dating apps are pushing to keep the majority of the relationship in-app.<\/p>\n

While many dating apps already had video-chat functionalities, some have\u00a0tweaked the interface<\/a>\u00a0to make it more relevant to the current climate, re-branding video-chats as \u201cvirtual dates\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u2026 but with no touching<\/h2>\n

In this new world, we\u2019re all navigating how romantic intimacy can exist without physical contact.<\/p>\n

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dave horwitz<\/span><\/span>@Dave_Horwitz<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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My friend is going on a 1st date tonight with a girl he’s been talking to on Tinder. They’re going to park next to each other at McDonald’s and talk with the windows cracked while eating their own individual orders of fries. How’s that for romance and longing, JANE AUSTEN?<\/p>\n

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Twitter Ads info and privacy<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
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8,618 people are talking about this<\/div>\n
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With the prospect of months of self-isolation how will we navigate sex? After all, not everyone has a sexual partner readily available.<\/p>\n

A notice about sex and coronavirus from the New York City Department of Health\u00a0went viral<\/a>\u00a0last weekend. It included the statement \u201cYou are your safest sex partner<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n

The tables are suddenly turned: online hook-ups\u00a0were previously<\/a>\u00a0framed as less wholesome than face-to-face ones. Yet in 2020 they are perceived as safer.<\/p>\n

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