The pandemic hit when Maxine Williams was 23 years old — a time that was supposed to usher in her prime dating years. Instead, she found herself at home, swiping on apps like Hinge and Bumble to no avail. When the world finally opened up again in 2022, Williams thought that meeting someone in real life would be easy. But the dating landscape her parents grew up with — and the people in it — had drastically changed.
“Because of social media and dating apps, our generation has been spoon-fed in a lot of ways when it comes to meeting people,” Williams said. “We’re realizing dating apps aren’t it, but there’s also a bit of shyness when it comes to, ‘OK, I deleted the app, but how do I even approach someone in person?’”
