OkCupid has coined the phrase ‘lockblocking’ to refer to a new dating trend that has emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new term describes situations where singles are forced to cancel or reschedule their date plans because of global lockdown restrictions.
The Match Group-owned dating app conducted a survey with its community and found that more than one-third of them have cancelled dates in the past few months. 20% decided to meet virtually instead, while the remaining 44% altered their plans and did an outdoors activity.
Melissa Hobley, OkCupid’s CMO, told the Metro: “It’s clear that the latest regional lockdowns aren’t deterring daters from finding love. British daters are coming up with innovative solutions to avoid any form of ‘lockblocking’ ruining their chances to find their perfect match.
“With the latest COVID-19 restrictions in place, it may be hard to think of ways you and your date can connect, without meeting up in person, but there’s still plenty of virtual and al-fresco dates you can go on.”
In the US, OkCupid is running a risqué promotion to encourage people to vote in the upcoming Presidential Election. The ‘VILF’ campaign suggests that voting is an attractive thing to do and will help singles make more matches.
Users can add a special badge to their profile to show that they’ve registered, and they can also buy branded merchandise like t-shirts, tote bags and poster boards.
Read more here.