Yogyakarta, May 5th, 2020— The COVID-19 pandemic has changed people’s lifestyles, especially in terms of social interaction. In Indonesia, the implementation of Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) made social interactions way limited. Physical meetings can no longer be held as usual. Meanwhile, to be able to interact, people need to find an alternative way.
The alternative way was discussed in #BRIWORKNgobrolBareng X Populi last Tuesday (5/5/20). The event was hosted by Risaza Madani (BRIWork Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM) and Geraldy Sam (Populi.co). Through a Zoom Video Conference, they discussed the existence of dating apps–specifically Tinder– as a solution for everyone to be able to interact in the pandemic. According to Geraldy, in the midst of limitations for physical activities, Tinder meets the needs of individuals to keep interacting. It is necessary to fulfil the human’s natural instincts.
“As social creatures, we need to interact with other people,” said Geraldy. He said, the pandemic confronted society with conditions which people commonly called “new normal”. New normal is not only happening in the real world, but also in cyberspace. “During the pandemic, the limited physical activity made people often use applications. We become addicted through the feeling of facilitated,” said Geraldy. At this point, Geraldy said Tinder became the choice of interaction between individuals.
As a dating app, Tinder can not only be used to find a romantic partner. In Tinder people can get acquainted and find partners to talk about various things. That is the core of human needs to interact. “Pandemic changes everything. We need to get acquainted with other people or new people, even though (we) as if being confined in a room,” said Geraldy.
Madani also expressed the same thing. As a user, Madani said that he did not specifically use Tinder to find a romantic partner. “I installed Tinder for chilling time,” said Madani. On the other hand, Madani said that people often use Tinder to find partners for discussion, socializing, and even thesis guidance. Once again, like Geraldy, Madani said that the use of Tinder during the pandemic was about the need for human interaction and not merely a matter of a romantic partner.
“As a social being, a human must continue to interact and intersect with others. When we faced a limited situation, the desire would still arise. In that condition, Tinder could be one of the solutions,” said Madani. Not surprisingly, amid today’s condition, Tinder users in Indonesia have increased by 20% This happened since February (4/20). “(The increase) also occurred in other countries,” said Geraldy.
On the other hand, Madani stated that given its main function as dating apps, Tinder gave a minimum age requirement of eighteen dor its users. The purpose of these requirements is to prevent users from harmful things. From there, Tinder can be a safe means of interaction for individuals during the pandemic.