Time Well Spent? Rhythms of Dating on Apps before, during and after COVID-19 Social Restrictions

This article examines how the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore the disruption of temporal and rhythm norms among dating app users. Based on 53 retrospective interviews, the study found a transformation from short and quick interactions aimed at finding ideal partners to ‘slow intimacy’ characterised by deeper, prolonged conversations. As restrictions lifted, there was a return to previous dating habits, highlighting how what was experienced by many as a transformative moment in online dating was undermined by the resilience of established social rhythms despite temporary disruptions. The study underscores the complex interplay between individual agency, social norms and constraints in online dating practices associated with what we term neoliberal temporal normativities. It reveals that dating rhythms are influenced by interactions with other users and the app, rather than being determined by individual preferences, as users navigate their desires within the temporal constraints of the platform and prevailing social norms.