When Jessica Johnson opened new Tinder, Bumble and Hinge accounts at the same time last year, she wasn’t looking for romance. She’s made it clear on the sites that she is happily married.
She just wanted to find some new friends.
“I was just looking for new people to grow and thrive with,” says Ms. Johnson, a realty coordinator in Atlanta.
She had met her husband on Tinder, making her familiar with the app. Despite some online conversations that went nowhere, and at least one woman who tried to flirt with her, “the results were actually really good,” says Ms. Johnson, 24. “I made two friends who are now actually my best friends.”
Dating apps are getting friendlier. More younger people see no problem swiping left or right to find friend matches rather than dates or hookup partners. Millennials and members of Generation Z have been comfortable using dating apps to meet platonic friends for a few years now, especially when moving to a new city. During the pandemic, the practice boomed.
