DECEMBER 6, 2021: If 2019 had us face-palming at the state of the world and 2020 had us shrugging with uncertainty about the future,* 2021 is the year we all exchanged side eyes and watched the drama continue to unfold. From sharing a collective look of to a common appreciation for simple meet-cutes to keeping it real with vax mentions, Tinder Gen Z members showed how they were authentically themselves as they looked to connect with new people in 2021.
2021 was a side-eye kind of year.
While millions of emojis were used in Tinder bios, one rising star really caught our attention: the Side eye saw a whopping 40% increase in usage in Tinder bios globally this year, as members showed a mixed bag of optimism and skepticism throughout the year.
URL and IRL.
In 2021, Gen Z enjoyed both virtual meet-cutes and post-vax IRL dates. Video dates have turned into a first date staple for singletons with mentions of “video call” in Tinder bios growing by 52% globally. Yet, Gen Z were also looking to connect with new people close to them for real life hangouts with “nearby” and “close by” both increasing by 20% in Tinder bios globally, showing that the IRL world isn’t going out of fashion anytime soon when it comes to dating.
First date ideas ranged from cozy to outdoorsy.
First date drinks are officially outdated! In 2021, we also learned that first dates have become more about activities than icebreakers. Daters are picking more interesting, unique first date activities that help them really get to know each other. Tinder saw a 51% increase in mentions of ‘rollerskating’ in bios and requests for date activities from making pasta to tarot readings pop up in bios.
Being vaxxed became a (dating) flex.
In a year when getting vaxxed was the first thing on the date prep checklist, sharing the post-vaccine lifestyle on their Tinder bios made Gen Z feel safer to meet someone. As vaccination drives accelerated locally between April and May 2021, mentions of "Vaxxed" in bios in the US grew by over 3x as members advocated for vaccine status as a dating essential.
Vaccine badges*** from Tinder became the new flaunt feature with the badge being the most popular by far amongst US Gen Z members.
Small gestures made it big.
It's the smallest of favours that make a date a favourite. Mentions of "small things" increased by 30% year on year in Tinder bios as members shared their appreciation for the little joys in life. US Tinder members mentioned small gestures such as ‘planning a picnic’ or ‘paying the bill’ as ones that would make their day.
Dating anthems were all kinds of feels.
With music being the top interest shared amongst Tinder members globally, what songs members choose to display on their profile told us a lot about their mood. The raw emotions of Olivia Rodgrio’s good4u and Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber’s STAY ranked as chart-toppers in Tinder bios in 2021.
About Tinder
Tinder was introduced on a college campus in 2012 and is the world’s most popular app for meeting new people. Available in 190 countries and 40+ languages, Tinder is the highest grossing non-gaming app globally. It’s been downloaded more than 450 million times and led to more than 60 billion matches.
All Mentions in Tinder bios compared between the period from 1 Jan 2021 to 30 Nov 2021 and 1 Jan 2020 to 30 Nov 2020
*most popular emojis from Year in Swipe 2019 and 2020
** from Tinder’s VIBE feature
***Badges as available in Tinder’s Vaccine Centre
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