Craigslist Dating Ads Are Back — They’re Just On Instagram Now
There’s been no shortage of think pieces detailing the trials and tribulations of what it was like to be single in 2020. Unable to meet people IRL, dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, Grindr, and Hinge became the main way singles met, and what once was a quick drink was exchanged for an awkward FaceTime date or a cold park hang that would end when someone had to use the bathroom.But during lockdown, a new kind of online dating started. A crop of Instagram accounts and newsletters are showcasing single people to a wide, yet self-selecting audience, giving people a chance to meet online, but squarely outside of the apps, in a form of dating that falls somewhere between manic Tinder swiping, Craigslist missed connection ads, professional matchmaking, and a capital-s Single’s events. This is post-lockdown online dating in 2021, where sliding into the DMs is less vulnerable and lower-stakes than ever.Publicly advertising oneself as single isn’t new: Matchmaking goes back centuries and classifi...