Surging Tinder Tells Users to Not Meet in Person

As old fashioned as I'd like to be, I'd be a liar if I said I hadn't used Tinder to find a date once or twice.

Alright, I've definitely used Tinder more than once or twice.

But I am one of millions of potential matches, as Tinder has brought an entire generation of bachelors and bachelorettes together to play the game of left swipe/right swipe.

And in the midst of a global pandemic that has left many quarantined, some people have been left with a lot of time and nobody to spend it with.

In fact, Tinder has actually seen a surge in user activity in the past week since COVID-19 swept the nation.

Recently, Tinder matched me up with – themselves.

Confusion arose, as I couldn't recall swiping right on them. It soon became clear this was an automated message, and I wasn't as flattered anymore.

Tinder said they'd seen longer text chats from users in areas that were most impacted by COVID-19 and warned that now was not the time to meet matches in person.

Tinder's definitely happy with more app usage, but even they would not want us to risk this coronavirus getting worse by meeting a person you didn't even know existed a few days ago.

If you're lonely, I get it. If you're especially lonely because of social distancing, I get it.

But we have so many ways to connect with somebody without actually being in the same room, and now is definitely the time to take advantage of it.

So if you match with somebody, message them on Tinder for a bit. If things go well, maybe FaceTime them.

Or if you're feeling a bit old fashioned, just give them a good ol' phone call.

Just keep it online for now.