Love Unmasked:
Dating and Relationships in the Pandemic.
Student perspectives on what changed and what didn’t over the last two years. Story by Jay Stearman Design and Graphics by Cas Bradley
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hen the clouds of the pandemic began to fall, we started to notice how many aspects of life we took for granted. Walking into work, having your professor hand out pieces of paper, going to literally any concert, and meeting someone out at a bar or restaurant all became things we never thought we’d lay awake wishing for. If asked about what you missed most about quarantining in the pandemic, I would put money on your answer having something to do with relationships. Dating became limited and started both looking and acting differently, while we started worrying about the health of our friends and family members like never before. When so much of our lives started happening on a computer screen, we had to get used to isolation while still attempting to be functional and productive human beings. In our isolation, what could be a better cure to our loneliness than finding a special someone to spend time binging “Tiger King” and eating Chinese take out with? But when our traditional gathering areas like clubs, bars, and coffee shops began to shutter, many of us turned to the hate-it-ortolerate-it world of online dating.
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The Associated Press reports that revenue tripled from 2019 to 2020 for the then little-known dating app, Hinge. Apps like
