Bumble Introduces Social Distance Benches For Offline Dates

Bumble has introduced a bench in Atlanta, Georgia that encourages people to have socially distanced meet-ups. 

The bench bear the message “I need space, but only like six feet” with only two seats placed at either end. It’s unclear whether or not benches are installed in other locations, as only one has been spotted by local news reporter Alison Mastrangelo.

It also holds a bottle of hand sanitiser, encouraging people to practice safe meet-ups, and remain COVID-free.

According to Mastrangelo’s tweet, the sign reads: “[Bumble] is all about creating safe, equal and healthy connections. Have a seat, get a little closer (while keeping your distance).”

Dating during COVID has become incredibly ‘virtual-based’, especially with the world entering a global lockdown. Face-to-face meet-ups were, for a long time, banned to stop the spread of the pandemic.

However, as the world begins to return to a new level of normal, dating platforms are developing new ways to get people back to meeting face-to-face again. 

Many experts believe that virtual dating and video dates will be commonplace in the future. A Match.com survey found that 70% of singles were trying video dating, compared to the incredibly low adoption rate pre-COVID.

Whilst it is widely accepted that this adoption rate will be lower when people can begin to freely meet up in person, video dating won’t just go away, but will instead become part of the ‘getting to know you’ process, forming deeper and more meaningful relationships. 

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