The modern dating landscape was a minefield before the pandemic, and the three lockdowns that have happened since have only made things harder for many. We’ve seen some positive trends emerge over the last 18 months, from virtual dating to people being more honest on their profiles. However, bad habits – ghosting, a lack of emotional consent, love bombing – are still very much prevalent, pandemic or no pandemic.  

As the third (and hopefully final) lockdown continues to come to an end, there are a lot of single people out there ready to jump into a so-called ‘summer of love’. But have we had enough of the quagmire of dating apps? Are we done with putting our romantic lives in the hands of technology? Is it time to take things back to basics and try to meet people in real life? Has the pandemic inspired us to just get the hell out there?

Alas, anyone who’s been single over recent years will know that meeting someone IRL is a lot easier said than done. As someone who’s been there, I can confirm that a prime minister who looks a lot like Hugh Grant has yet to stand on my doorstep and declare his love for me. And, although we’re embracing these new freedoms, the fact remains that a lot of people are still anxious about meeting people in a post-Covid world.

This all helps to explain the new dating meme that’s going viral on Twitter. Basically, people are declaring that they’re deleting their dating apps, then explaining how they plan to meet someone IRL (which is usually a bizarre rom com plot). It illustrates how fed up we are with online dating, while poking fun at how hard it is to meet someone. 

“Deleting my dating apps because I want to meet someone the old fashioned way (rekindling my relationship with my ex after my daughter invites him and two of my other exes she thinks are her father to her wedding on a Greek island),” one Mamma Mia! fan shared. 

“Deleting my dating apps because I want to meet someone the old fashioned way (never),” announced a realist.

“Deleting my dating app because I want to meet someone the old fashion way (he bullies me in school because he likes me),” this highly-relatable Twitter user added.

This imaginative soul tweeted: “Deleting my dating app because I want to meet someone the old fashioned way by them ghosting me for 10 years then showing back up in my life when their wife dies and [confessing] their love for me during an intervention for their PTSD while a mafia boss tells everyone ‘I’m you’re one true love.’” 

“Deleting my dating app because I just can’t be bothered, I’m about this close to just joining someone else’s relationship,” said another honest individual.

Sharing their biggest fantasy, this Phantom Of The Opera fan revealed: “Deleting my dating apps because I want to meet someone the old fashioned way (I’m a ballet dancer at the Paris Opera House, he whispers at me through my mirror).”

And, ending things on a positive note, this Twitter user said: “Deleting my dating apps because i want to meet someone the old fashioned way (I’m pulling the biggest heist in history and she’s the inspector leading the case).”

I mean, you never know, this very well could happen, right? And maybe that’s why this meme has taken off on Twitter – we just want to have fun, dare to imagine our own bonkers romance story and say “enough” to any anguish caused by dating apps over the last 18 months. And actually meeting someone while doing it is just an added bonus.

Images: Getty