Introduction

There’s no telling where things are going to go with COVID at this time. Though due to the vaccine now being available, many people are hopeful for the restrictions to start lifting. Dating is no exception.

However, most people do not expect dating to be the same as it was pre-COVID. It’s not just the restrictions that are affecting how people date. It’s also the recent political uprisings and the recent election.

An Ever-Increasing Desire for Similar Political Values

Recently, about 64 percent of OKCupid users said that they would not date someone who has significantly opposing political views to them. Approximately 300,000 members consider themselves to be activists.

Slower and More Virtual

Approximately 840,000 OKCupid users now believe in the importance of an emotional connection before a physical one.

Openness to long distance relationships has increased by one and a half million. Openness to dating someone of a different religion has increased by 15 percent and openness to interracial dating has increased by 10 percent.

However, local dating, now called locdating, has become more common than ever as well. If there’s one thing the lockdown has helped us do, it’s to increase our appreciation for our own backyards.

In fact, slow dating is already a popular term as a result.

Before, COVID, there used to be a rush to make the physical connection. This led to problems with ghosting. However, taking the time to make emotional connections is predicted to lessen it.

Cohabitation is Expected to Increase

About five million current OKCupid users have said that they believe that it’s better to try living with someone before marriage. In fact, speed rooming is already yet another term as a result.

Since people have had to stay at home so much in the last year, there’s also some prediction that they will want to get outside more.

Other New Dating Terms

Advo-Dating

People who consider themselves to be activists are now looking to connect with a fellow activist. Over 40 percent of both Generation Z and millennial women consider themselves to be activists.

ThunBerging

Like the name suggests, it’s a term after the famous environmental activist, Greta Thunberg. It refers to two singles meeting over environmental activism.

Over the past two years alone, OKCupid has seen a 240 percent increase in mentions of climate change. They have seen about six times more mentions of Greta Thunberg.

Retroshading

Retroshading means bringing back a potential unwanted lover. This became very common last year thanks to virtual dating.

Manifestidatetion

Manifestidatetion refers to going into dating knowing exactly what you want in a partner and going after it. For example, if your partner is still mooching off of you and your folks by year three, it may be time to reconsider.

New Dawn Daters

New Dawn primarily refers to those who are single and are ready to get back into the dating game. It also refers to those who have never dated online before and are nervous about it.

Bumble says that they expect to see an increase in New Dawn daters by about a fifth.

Hardballing

Hardballing means someone who won’t date anyone who doesn’t tick 100 percent of their boxes.

While it’s good to have high standards and not to waste your life messing around with the wrong ones, sometimes you never know just who you might connect with.

Overall, 2020 appears to have changed us for the better on stuff like that.

Astrolove

Like the name suggests, this refers to searching for love using the astrological signs.

In the last year, over one million people in the U.K. added their astrological sign to their profiles. They have reported an over 50 percent increase in matching success.

While astrology can be a good guide for who you will most likely match the best with, getting fixed on it can be limiting. So we advise you to proceed with caution there.

What About Sexting?

Since the lockdown, it has become very unsafe to attend anything like a sex party or fetish bars. As a result, zorgies and apps like Satisfyer have increased in popularity.

Satisfyer is an app for those in long distance relationships and still under visitation restrictions. It allows their members to turn on their lovers remotely through skillful features.

As a result, sex party firms such as Killing Kittens, has seen an increase of membership by more than a hundredfold. It allows their members to build their confidence before hitting the sheets in real life.