A New Wave of Dating Apps Takes Cues From TikTok and Gen Z

The pandemic could have doomed online dating. Instead, it sent singles swiping more than ever before. Sanctions on in-person meetups drove the adoption of new products, like video dating, and persuaded more people to pay for premium features. All in all, the industry had a chartbusting year. "Acceptance and normalization of online dating was already underway before Covid-19," says John Madigan, an analyst at business research firm IBISWorld, but tailwinds from the pandemic have accelerated growth.