Mumbai: Finding friends with an ongoing pandemic can be difficult in this new normal of lockdowns and social-distancing times. This Friendship Day, Bumble, the women-first social networking app, revealed that 28% of single Indians are more interested in building platonic relationships and friendships online than before the pandemic. Chennai ranks highest with 32% of people more interested in building friendships online, followed by 30% Mumbaikars and Hyderabadis.* People have tried to make friends online more than before the pandemic in India suggesting that meeting people online in a platonic capacity is more normalized than ever before.
“At Bumble, we believe firmly that social connection plays a vital role in the human experience, and that strong relationships are key to a happy and healthy life. In the current climate it is easy to feel isolated, and as we get older the social environments that are set up to help us make friends easily, such as school or colleges, fall away and it can feel harder to meet new people or make new friends. Per our recent study, more people in India are now opening up to finding friends virtually, and Bumble BFF is a great way to meet like-minded people, who are all there with a shared purpose of wanting to connect.” shared Samarpita Samaddar, Communications Director, Bumble India.
Bumble BFF is the friend-finding mode within the Bumble app, where one can build a profile to connect with potential friends nearby. During the first three months of 2021, the average time spent on Bumble BFF globally grew 44% for women and 83% for men*.
*Insights based on nationwide survey commissioned by Bumble and conducted by YouGov across India in June, 2021.