Tori Smith – Opinion Columnist

Now that Valentine’s Day is a few weeks behind us, I think we can all collectively agree that this particular holiday in this particular year was a doozy. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this is a lonely year.
Perhaps it’s from not having a significant other to watch WandaVision every Friday night with (this may be speaking from personal experience). Or maybe you do have a special someone in your life, but because of COVID you’re only able to see them once every Friday to order pizza and watch WandaVision.
Either way, we’re all suffering, but at least we all have WandaVision. That is unless you don’t have Disney+ in which you’re really suffering. My heart goes out to you.
In any case, I think everyone has realized how hard it is to meet new people during the pandemic. If you’re trying to find “the one”, or even just some new pals to hang out with, you’re going to have to get creative.
To help you out, here are a few tips and tricks from a completely (un)qualified (non)professional:
Ah, the classmate crush. So exciting, yet almost always underwhelming.
Having a classmate crush is a universal experience that, for many of us, dates back to grade school. Unfortunately for us in college, it’s not so easy to run up to the boy or girl we like at recess and scream “I like you” and run away.
In fact, I would refrain from screaming at anyone if you’re looking to get to know them.
A better, more mature idea is to throw out the idea of making a study group for your class and invite that special someone.
A study group is a great way to meet new people, and you can even host them virtually. This way you can talk to your crush and get to know them in a group setting. Everything is less awkward in a group setting.
And the best part? You may even boost your grade.
If you’re looking for a more direct approach, social media offers you many ways to get to know others.
Instagram, for example, offers a Direct Message (DM) feature that allows users to privately message one another. This is a good way to reach out to someone new if, and only if, the communication is respectful.
Afterall, the term “sliding into the DMs” doesn’t have the best reputation. It’s easy to offend or off-put someone with such a direct means of communication, but if you’re careful about the words you send, it could be a good way to meet someone new.
Another popular social media app is Snapchat, or what I refer to as “The App Where Conversations Go to Die.”
It’s a good app to reach out to new people either through sending pictures/selfies back and forth or chatting in the DMs.
In my opinion, reaching out to someone new on Snapchat is a lot less pressure than Instagram. Most things you send (unless changed in the settings) disappear after the recipient opens or reads a message. There’s also no profile page or feed, so it feels a little less personal.
The main problem I have with the app, however, is how easy it is to fall into the same pattern of sending meaningless selfies back and forth for weeks, even months, without saying a word. Hence, “The App Where Conversations Go to Die.”
The other social media platform you could use to reach out to someone new is Facebook. My advice: don’t use Facebook.
Let’s be honest, no one wants to use a dating app. They’re weird, awkward and kind of sketchy. But we have to be honest with ourselves, we are in desperate times here.
There are a lot of dating apps out there. There’s Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Grindr, Her, OkCupid, PlentyofFish and much, much more.
All of these apps have different features and are designed for different purposes. If you’re thinking about taking the plunge into any of these, it’s important to know which one is right for you.
Tinder is the most popular dating app with the highest number of users, according to the Kochava Collective. Because of its insanely large consumer-base, this app is used for a whole variety of reasons, from casual meet-ups to finding long-term relationships.
Bumble is another popular choice. It’s unique feature which gives women the responsibility of making the first move makes this app stand out from the rest.
Apps such as Grindr and Her also stand out for being specifically made for the LGBTQ+ community. Grindr advertises itself as “the world’s largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans and queer people” while Her is a combined social media platform and dating app created by and for LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary folks.
If you decide to join any of the above-mentioned apps, make sure to do your own research and be careful when meeting up with new people.
I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. I can’t promise anything will come of it, but that won’t stop me from trying.
Hopefully meeting new people will become easier once COVID restrictions are lifted, but for now we’ll just keep hoping to run into our future soulmate in the chip aisle of Target.