COVID has often meant that for young people, in-person dates and gatherings have often not been possible, and the time spent indoors has changed how they view romance. Having a partner during a pandemic has suddenly become a far better option than being single — especially if it’s during the college years.
Eleanor Maher, 18, said she hated her boyfriend all throughout high school but realized they had quite a bit in common with each other when the UK national lockdown began.
She said they downloaded Locket before the recent influx of viral videos increased demand for the app that temporarily crashed its downloads, and since they’re both always on their phones, they’re constantly sharing photos to each other’s lockscreens.
“I don’t live with my boyfriend, and getting to see little updates of each other’s day is really nice,” Maher said.
Of course people are looking to technology for ways to keep connected at a time when public health measures have kept us apart.
Shruthi Poolacherla, 20, says communicating via Locket with her long-distance partner has made her realize the importance of small gestures, like a note or photo, and changed her perception of romance. Their collection of photos, which Poolacherla shared on TikTok, is full of casual selfies and silly faces that they update several times a day.
