Online love: We're swiping differently since the pandemic

6/24/21 8:00PM

Data from Tinder (via a great article from the New Statesman) reveals how behavior on dating apps has changed in the last 12 months.

‍Swipe, swipe, baby

‍The dating app boom is not new. Downloads for dating apps boomed during the pandemic, as people went online to find love, but it's not just that there are more people on dating apps. Data from Tinder suggests users are way more engaged than they used to be — with daily swiping activity in Feb 15% higher than it was last year.

What's even more interesting (and quite wholesome) is that the length of conversations has also gone up. Tinder users are sending 19% more messages, and their conversations with each other are 32% longer than they used to be. People are actually talking to each other presumably to discuss plans for the summer, whether they're vaccinated or not (you can get a "vaccine badge" on most dating apps now) and which chart-based newsletters are their favourite.

With dating returning in many countries, people are single and ready to mingle. They're also more used to interacting with others online and there's been a shift in priorities for single people who might feel like they have missed out on a year of opportunity to find a long-term partner. It's a good time to run a dating app.

Tom Jones4h

The UAE’s OPEC exit will hit the group in the barrels

After just shy of 60 years in OPEC, its membership even predating its status as a nation-state, the United Arab Emirates yesterday announced its shocking departure from the oil production group, effective May 1, as the knock-on effects of the Iran war continue to play out across the Middle East and the energy landscape.

For context, the UAE produces the third-highest amount of oil in the group, per April data and OPEC’s latest set of annual statistics.

According to the cartel’s 2025 Annual Statistical Bulletin, the OPEC group was collectively exporting some 19 million barrels of crude oil a day last year, with the United Arab Emirates accounting for some 14% of that daily output.

UAExit means UAExit

The nation, whose energy minister told Reuters yesterday that the decision was taken “after a careful look at current and future policies related to level of production” and wasn’t made following discussions with any other country, made up a healthy share of the group’s total confirmed crude oil reserves, as well.

Of the 12 nations in the core group, which was founded by just five oil superpowers back in September 1960, only two (Iraq and Saudi Arabia) exported more barrels of crude oil daily, pumping out 3.36 million and 6.05 million barrels, respectively, each day to nations around the world.

For its part, the UAE said it will “continue its responsible role by gradually and thoughtfully increasing production, in line with demand and market conditions,” per the official state news agency. Clearly, the nation now wants a little more control of just how much oil it can pump around the world, with the UAE having to eat a large proportion of lost revenues due to its healthy abundance and OPEC restrictions.