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Love in the time of coronavirus: Virtual blind dates during the pandemic
As the coronavirus pandemic drags on, a growing number of single people are signing up for virtual blind dates to meet prospective partners
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Connecting singles: Dalam Pencarian (On the Lookout) consists of five university students, including Angelina Audrey (top center). (JP/Courtesy of Dalam Pencarian)
T
hese days, virtual dating is nothing unusual, and many Indonesians can name at least one free dating app. These apps make the prospect of meeting a match resoundingly easy, with the promise that "the one" may only be a swipe away. In non-pandemic times, a match turns to a chat, then to a real-life meeting.
Virtual blind dating is not much different: Users go online and try to meet prospective partners. One key difference is that users can also converse directly instead of relying on emotion-lacking texts. There is also no specific app in use; instead, online match-making groups set up prospective couples for these virtual dates.
The trend emerged during the pandemic and a few groups have started this activity, which has grown into a promising business. Dalam Pencarian (On the lookout) and Virtual Blind Date (VBD) by the Malam Minggu Project are two that offer such virtual blind-dating opportunities.
In February, VBD started with four people: Mira, Eve, Adian and Ihaw (full name to be added later, all students at the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology in Surabaya, East Java. The team now comprises more than 30 people across the country.
"We believe that as humans, our need to find connection never stops. But because of the pandemic, many of the social aspects of our lives have shifted and it has become a challenge to find ways to fulfill our needs in making meaningful connections. And we believe Virtual Blind Date is the perfect platform that can help achieve that goal," Mira told The Jakarta Post.
Dalam Pencarian also comprises five university students in Malang, East Java. Angelina Audrey, the 19-year-old founder of the program, said she and her friend, Angela Michellelia, created the blind date platform because online classes or working from home made it hard for young people to make new connections and start relationships.
