Karina Rodriguez | THE RIDER
Two UTRGV students helped shed light on the potential benefits of dating apps and their usage during the pandemic. As COVID-19 continues to interrupt daily lives, dating apps have seen an increase in usage.
A CNBC report said that amid the pandemic, the dating apps Bumble, Badoo and Tinder have seen an increase in usage by people in the age range of 20-30.
Senior marketing major Vanessa Martinez helped shed light on why she chose to use Bumble.
“I had just gotten dumped from a one-year relationship, when I started using Bumble,” Martinez said. “He was my first boyfriend … and I wanted to feel like I had control in a way, so I figured using a dating app could do that for me. I had the control to say yes or no and was able to do what I wanted.”
While the control she felt was great at first, Martinez ended up in an awkward situation.
“One bizarre interaction that stuck to me was a guy who catfished me,” she said. “I saw him on Bumble, swiped and then we matched. We spoke for about a week when he asked me on a date. We met at the park and I realized that he failed to mention that his pictures were from when he was 19 and he was now 24.”
Martinez explained how there are positives and negatives to the usage of dating apps during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I truly am on the fence if people should or shouldn’t be using these apps during COVID,” she said. “I believe it’ll be good to get to know people and how they are reacting to a time like this and talk about what they feel about all that is happening. However, I do think it is bad because people are still meeting up and it does not help the COVID situation.”
UTRGV mass communication junior Maria Ruiz gave insight about a positive situation that came out of her use of Bumble.
“On Bumble, I interacted with many people and most were kind,” Ruiz said. “Positive interactions ranged from asking questions beyond the usual ‘what’s your favorite color’ and ‘what do you do for fun.’ When I first messaged my current boyfriend we actually spoke about our favorite season. That was all it took to start off a chain reaction that would soon develop into our relationship.”
She also explained that while dating apps seem to be very similar the encounters made on them tend to vary.
“I never had bad experiences on Tinder, from what I recall, aside from running into two of my exes which was extremely awkward,” Ruiz said.
For her, the usage of dating apps during the pandemic was a way for her to interact with people despite being unable to see them in person.
“It made me open to distanced relationships and allowed me to focus more on emotional connection and compatibility rather than physical interaction,” Ruiz said. “[Dating apps] made me realize that right now is a crucial time for connection, and it should not matter if it is through a screen.”
