My Social Life is in Ashes!: The Role of Tinder in Redefining Connectedness during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the mental health and social connections of 18 to 24-year-old individuals. Because of the increased loneliness, there existed a 15% increase in Tinder subscribers since February 2020 among college-age students who yearn to feel connected. During the pandemic, bars and traditional meeting spots possess capacity limits, so “people simply will see each other less in person” (Lunden 2020). Therefore, Tinder has become an alternative location where humans can congregate to connect. While people await the return of normalcy, it becomes interesting to explore the “new normal” of human connectedness and the implications of this “new normal.” I explored how Tinder users’ connections have become redefined by exclusively virtual interactions by examining pre-pandemic human connectedness and providing insights through virtual ethnographic methods. I will also utilize anthropological, indexical, and social theories to explain how redefining connectedness impacts human emotional, mental, and physical well-being.