Main character energy dominated a year of dating that was all ‘for the plot’
Personal journeys, positivity and exploring all the possibilities ruled in 2023
Tinder’s Year in Swipe is back, sharing the State of the Date in 2023, including the trends, terms, and tunes singles leaned into while splashing around the dating pool. Overall, daters were less concerned about where their relationships were headed and more interested in creating opportunities to have new memorable experiences.
The year was marked by overarching themes of positivity, optimism, and a focus on bettering one’s self through making connections with others. Singles ditched the pressure of rushing to a “happily ever after” in favor of using the dating process to build a roster of new experiences and memories that bolstered their own personal stories. This refreshingly optimistic and lighthearted approach to making new connections took the pressure off establishing relationship labels and outcomes, leaving more room for self-exploration through dating.
“It’s so exciting to see the data at Tinder shows that 69% of Gen Z want to challenge conventional dating and relationship norms*. This year in particular marked a major shift where the journey is more important than the outcome. This new generation of daters is showing us what it means to date for the possibilities, freeing themselves from traditional expectations, allowing them to write their own, worthwhile stories.” said Melissa Hobley, Chief Marketing Officer at Tinder.
Here’s a look back at what was hot on Tinder in 2023
DATING TRENDS ON TINDER IN 2023
#1. ALWAYS 🔛 IS THE EMOJI OF THE YEAR ON TINDER
The let’s do it energy ruled
The 🔛 emoji was the top trending emoji globally on Tinder this year. Singles used the emoji to let potential matches know they were up for trying cool new things or were even ready to explore a new relationship. They popped into bios to signal openness and optimism. Examples from bios include “I bring positive energy and try to make the best of every situation
#2. N.A.T.O DATING WAS THE DIPLOMATIC APPROACH
Not being attached to an outcome was a big YES
Young singles are focusing on the connection and are N.A.T.O (not attached to outcomes). In fact, over a quarter (27%) of 18-25-year-olds using Tinder’s Relationship Type feature say they are “open to exploring”, and 22% using the Relationship Goals feature say they are “still figuring it out”. So taking an open approach allowed them to meet new people without closing themselves off from all the possibilities that come from putting yourself out there.
Thai Tinder users connected over Music, Travel and Movies – all of which were amongst Thais’ top Tinder Interests in 2023 – and with the pandemic in the rearview mirror of young adult Thai daters, “Concerts” was the top trending date activity, followed by “Looking for friends to travel with”.
#3. MAIN CHARACTERS WERE LIVING FOR THE PLOT
No bad dates, only good stories!
Tinder clocked a shift toward a more open-minded approach to dating in 2023. Singles have fully embraced their main character’s energy and are now fully invested in “the plot”….rather than “the end.” Dating for “the plot” is buzzing on Tinder globally, with a 5.5x increase in users using the term in bios like, “Everything I do is for the plot, let’s make some memories.”
While authoring their own stories, travel was top of mind for Thais appearing amongst Thai Tinder users’ top Interests and top date activities in 2023.
Traveling with Tinder’s Passport, Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket were the top Thai destinations Thai Tinder users passported to this year while Seoul, London and New York City topped the international destinations.
#4. DATERS DE-INFLUENCED DELULU
Dating’s not delusional if you know you’re delusional
Singles were into taking chances this year and keeping the optimism around potential matches alive. But while leaning into the “delulu” of dating can be fun and playful in a daydreamy sort of way, singles were still self-aware enough to call out red flags – in themselves and each other. In fact, mentions of Delulu started trending in Tinder bios in Feb 23, and peaked in Sept 23, growing 58x with bio examples such as “If you are delulu, I’m your solulu”, “Tall, dark and delulu”, “Turn my delulu into trululu”.
#5. TIME WAS THE MOST VALUABLE CURRENCY
The situationship is all grown up and getting organized
Stack dating, multi-dating, alphabet dating – it was all about being mindful, getting organized, and taking the situationship to the next level in 2023. In fact, 51% of surveyed young singles said they were open to new ways of fitting dating around their daily schedules. Singles were not here to waste time this year. In a recent global survey, over 50% of young singles using Tinder’s Love Styles feature say they prefer time together’ over the other love styles.
“Thoughtful gestures” was the top Love Style amongst Thai Tinder users this year followed by spending “Time together”. When it came to communication, the personal touch was also a top priority as Thais ranked “Better in person” #1 on Tinder’s Communication Styles ahead of “Big time texter” and “Phone caller”.
#6. GIRL POWER WAS A SUPERPOWER
The voice of this generation celebrates women
Feminine energy boomed around the world in 2023 and inevitably found its way onto Tinder. Taylor Swift was crowned the top Spotify artist on Tinder, Miley’s revenge bop “Flowers” was the 4th most popular Anthem added to profiles, and Rihanna fans showered her with support with a 52% spike in her songs being added to profiles following her performance at the big game.
Thais stanned their female celebrity idols all year with Newjeans the top trending celebrity mentioned in Thai Tinder bios followed by Taylor Swift and Blackpink.
For global dating trends on Tinder, go to www.yearinswipe.com.