by anjali jhangianipune dating has moved to a video call after the lockdown shaped a new trend while recognising the value of companionship it is a necessity for now shalini singh founder of a dating platform said this will be a quick way of screening people and may persist post covid19 going on dates requires investment in time and money people are likely to opt for video dating to screen potential matches they will give more importance to getting to know each other and there will be more emphasis in knowing if there is a mental and emotional compatibilitysince going on a date is has not reason enough to travel across the city yet youngsters are resorting to turning the conventional dinner and movie into an online meetingshruti singh 21 said i have come to prefer the dateonvideocall compared to actually going out on a date with someone you want to get to know i have the option to turn off and get out of it whenever i want which is an uncomfortable option in a real date people are more candid this way and you get to connect on a more real level she said siddharth chaudhuri 20 shares how you can watch a movie together i wanted to take my date for dinner and a movie i ordered dinner for her from a food aggregator and for myself too and then streamed a romantic movie which we watched together he said the pandemic has blurred the lines between digital and physical lives and people are finding new ways to connect taru kapoor general managerindia of a dating app saidour members have found virtual ways to replicate all human interactions missing from our daily lives cooking together passporting to other cities to check in on each other having a virtual datenight shows us how togetherisepic she added the situation is evolving we can give our members a way to escape social distancing and selfquarantine and find solidarity with new matches around the world we need to find a way to maintain social rhythms and build new relationships that will sustain us kapoor said