{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]],"date-time":"2026-08-26T12:42:24Z","timestamp":1787748144933,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,30]],"date-time":"2022-01-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1643500800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["New Media &amp; Society"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The coronavirus disease-19 pandemic introduced a crisis of safety and relevance for dating apps, as their affordances for facilitating in-person encounters posed the risk of viral transmission. This article examines how eight apps primarily catering to heterosexual markets responded to the pandemic through changes to socio-technical arrangements, new user prescriptions, and the curation of corporate data and success stories. By analyzing corporate social media and promotional materials alongside in-app developments, we find that these companies reimagined app affordances to promote \u201cvirtual dating,\u201d a set of practices and symbolic meanings that prioritize visual, synchronous digital interaction as the most responsible, reliable, and successful dating approach to the pandemic. Virtual dating centers apps as databases of potential partners while prescribing modes of use aimed toward affective relief, displays of authenticity, and romantic courtship. This reimagining counters moral panics about digitally mediated relationships by resorting to heteronormative dating scripts while overlooking alternative app uses.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/14614448211072257","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,31]],"date-time":"2022-01-31T00:21:05Z","timestamp":1643588465000},"page":"1384-1402","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":50,"title":["The year of the \u201cvirtual date\u201d: Reimagining dating app affordances during the COVID-19 pandemic"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"26","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9796-0619","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stefanie","family":"Duguay","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Concordia University, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0450-5765","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christopher","family":"Dietzel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dalhousie University, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"David","family":"Myles","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"McGill University, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-14614448211072257","unstructured":"@ cluelesslaura (2020) IM SCREAMING #tinder #coronavirus. Twitter, 17 February. Available at: https:\/\/twitter.com\/cluelesslaura\/status\/1229456643953479681 (accessed 15 July 2021)"},{"key":"bibr2-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1215\/9780822388074"},{"key":"bibr3-14614448211072257","first-page":"259","volume-title":"Shaping Technology\/Building Society","author":"Akrich M","year":"1992"},{"key":"bibr4-14614448211072257","first-page":"81","volume-title":"The Routledge Companion to Media, Sex and Sexuality","author":"Albury K","year":"2018"},{"key":"bibr5-14614448211072257","unstructured":"Albury K, Byron P, McCosker A, et al. (2019) Safety, Risk and Wellbeing on Dating Apps: Final Report. Melbourne: Swinburne University of Technology. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.25916\/5dd324c1b33bb"},{"key":"bibr6-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/14461242.2020.1777885"},{"key":"bibr7-14614448211072257","unstructured":"Anderson M, Vogels EA, Turner E (2020) The Virtues and Downsides of Online Dating. Pew Research Center. Available at: https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/internet\/2020\/02\/06\/the-virtues-and-downsides-of-online-dating\/ (accessed 15 July 2021)"},{"key":"bibr8-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1089\/cpb.2005.8.521"},{"key":"bibr9-14614448211072257","first-page":"25","volume-title":"The Politics of Women\u2019s Bodies: Sexuality, Appearance, and Behavior","author":"Bartky SL","year":"2003"},{"key":"bibr10-14614448211072257","volume-title":"Personal Connections in the Digital Age","author":"Baym NK","year":"2015","edition":"2"},{"key":"bibr11-14614448211072257","unstructured":"Belmonte L (2020) A provincial health minister\u2019s Tinder and Grindr warning is going viral. Narcity, 2 April. Available at: https:\/\/www.narcity.com\/john-haggie-warning-people-about-using-tinder-and-grindr-is-going-viral"},{"key":"bibr12-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1461444814521595"},{"key":"bibr13-14614448211072257","unstructured":"Blue V (2020) We need to talk about sex, tech and COVID-19. Engadget, 13 March. Available at: https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/2020-03-13-we-need-to-talk-about-sex-tech-and-covid-19.html?guccounter=1 (accessed 15 July 2021)"},{"key":"bibr14-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/gwao.12491"},{"key":"bibr15-14614448211072257","first-page":"233","volume-title":"The Sage Handbook of Social Media","author":"Bucher T","year":"2017"},{"key":"bibr16-14614448211072257","unstructured":"Bumble (2021) Dating 101 in 2021. Available at: https:\/\/thebeehive.bumble.com\/datingguide-slow-dating (accessed 26 October 2021)"},{"key":"bibr17-14614448211072257","volume-title":"Getting It on Online: Cyberspace, Gay Male Sexuality, and Embodied Identity","author":"Campbell JE","year":"2004"},{"key":"bibr18-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1440783319833181"},{"key":"bibr19-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4324\/9781315737027"},{"key":"bibr20-14614448211072257","unstructured":"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020) How to protect yourself & others. Available at: https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/prevent-getting-sick\/social-distancing.html (accessed 15 July 2020)"},{"key":"bibr21-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/089124195024003002"},{"key":"bibr22-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/2056305116641976"},{"key":"bibr23-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/1369118X.2016.1168471"},{"key":"bibr24-14614448211072257","first-page":"127","volume-title":"Applied: Culture in the Age of Apps","author":"Duguay S","year":"2018"},{"key":"bibr25-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1461444811410395"},{"key":"bibr26-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/14614448211011451"},{"key":"bibr27-14614448211072257","volume-title":"The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception","author":"Gibson JJ","year":"1979"},{"key":"bibr28-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijid.2020.01.009"},{"key":"bibr29-14614448211072257","unstructured":"Koeze E, Popper N (2020) The virus changed the way we Internet. The New York Times, 7 April. Available at: https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2020\/04\/07\/technology\/coronavirus-internet-use.html (accessed 15 July 2021)"},{"key":"bibr30-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/2056305119872949"},{"key":"bibr31-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1461444815589702"},{"key":"bibr32-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1461444816675438"},{"key":"bibr33-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jcc4.12125"},{"key":"bibr34-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/23808985.2021.1880958"},{"key":"bibr35-14614448211072257","volume-title":"The Social Shaping of Technology","author":"MacKenzie D","year":"1985"},{"key":"bibr36-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S1743923X08000500"},{"key":"bibr37-14614448211072257","volume-title":"Embodied Knowledge and Virtual Space Conference","author":"Miller H","year":"1995"},{"key":"bibr38-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4324\/9781003002338-3"},{"key":"bibr39-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1515\/9782760642676-005"},{"key":"bibr40-14614448211072257","first-page":"79","author":"Myles D","year":"2021","journal-title":"The COVID-19 Crisis: Social Perspectives"},{"key":"bibr41-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/2056305115603385"},{"key":"bibr42-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1440783317728584"},{"key":"bibr43-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1461444820985442"},{"key":"bibr44-14614448211072257","first-page":"659","volume-title":"The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research","author":"Pelias RJ","year":"2011"},{"key":"bibr45-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/030631284014003004"},{"key":"bibr46-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/13691058.2014.930181"},{"key":"bibr47-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/2050157916664559"},{"key":"bibr48-14614448211072257","first-page":"3","volume-title":"The Gay and Lesbian Studies Reader","author":"Rubin G","year":"1993"},{"key":"bibr49-14614448211072257","unstructured":"Secon H, Woodward A, Mosher D (2020) A comprehensive timeline of the coronavirus pandemic at 1 year, from China\u2019s first case to the present. Business Insider, 24 December. Available at: https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/coronavirus-pandemic-timeline-history-major-events-2020-3 (accessed 15 July 2021)"},{"key":"bibr50-14614448211072257","volume-title":"Doing Qualitative Research: A Comprehensive Guide","author":"Silverman D","year":"2008"},{"key":"bibr51-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0146167208318067"},{"key":"bibr52-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-030-29256-0_6"},{"key":"bibr53-14614448211072257","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0963662509102694"}],"container-title":["New Media &amp; Society"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/14614448211072257","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/14614448211072257","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/14614448211072257","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,2]],"date-time":"2026-05-02T03:53:49Z","timestamp":1777694029000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/14614448211072257"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,30]]},"references-count":53,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,3]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/14614448211072257"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/14614448211072257","relation":{},"ISSN":["1461-4448","1461-7315"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1461-4448","type":"print"},{"value":"1461-7315","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,30]]}}}