Swiper, no more swiping: Finding love in lockdown

Walking outdoors, long phone calls, and coffee to go: How the pandemic has led to a more traditional way of dating through a modern medium 

James Hanafin and Nick Dunne met online and started dating during lockdown. Picture: Brian Arthur

If you’re one of the 54% of Irish people who celebrate Valentine’s Day, chances are your day looks quite different from last year. The dating scene has transformed to respond to the pandemic. Where once we had a constant swipe-swipe-swipe mentality among many users of dating apps, now people are taking the time to make a meaningful connection.

A move to a more traditional way of dating through a modern medium has been seen around the world. Dating app Bumble has described it as ‘slow dating’, with people taking the time to get to know each other and build a connection. “Many daters have used quarantine to think critically about what they want in a relationship,” says Jemma Ahmed, head of insights at Bumble.