FEBRUARY 2 0 2 1 I BOROMAG.COM 29
to meet the person as if you’re going
out with them,” she added.
Planning an activity or even having
drinks or coffee while you’re video
chatting can make it feel more like
a date, not just a conversation with a
friend, Krol said.
“People can open up quicker when
they are virtually dating than they
normally would offline — people’s
walls are kind of torn down,” she said.
“There’s more of a sense of comfort
opening up to people through text
or the phone. It feels less risky to
them.”
She’s also noticed people are
committing faster than they normally
would. This could be because
they’re connecting more deeply or
more quickly online. Plus, health
considerations could be a factor;
many people don’t want to date
multiple partners anymore, she
said.
Woodside resident Rita met
people online and in person before
the pandemic. She met her
boyfriend through Tinder in March,
the week after the city shut down.
Since they’re both active, their first
date began in a park in Queens —
“we goofed around on the monkey
bars,” she said — and continued with
a walk back to her apartment. In the
spring, they’d often make each other
dinner at their respective apartments,
and as it got warmer, dates
included bike rides and outings at
the park and the beach.
Ironically, the pandemic could have
some benefits for those who are dating.
Rita said it may have reduced the
amount of “game-playing” and wondering
where she stood. And, because
she couldn’t socialize as much as she
normally would, she was able to spend
more quality time with her boyfriend.
Plus, she wasn’t as worried that he’d be
dating other people in the beginning
of their relationship.
“The pandemic forced me to be
patient and removed a lot of toxicity,”
she said.
/BOROMAG.COM
