2019 had everyone facepalming at the state of the world, 2020 had us shrugging with uncertainty about the future and 2021 is the year we all exchanged and watched the drama unfold.
From sharing the collective thought of oh my God when will this end to a common appreciation for simple meet-cutes, 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 peoples attention: The side-eye saw a whopping 40 per cent increase in usage in Tinder bios globally this year.
Showing optimism for the future and general good vibes, two other emojis that ‘understood the assignment’ for Aussies this year were the shooting star and sparkles emojis.
URL and IRL
In 2021, Gen Z enjoyed both virtual meet-cutes and post-vax IRL dates. Video dates have also turned into a first date staple for singletons with mentions of “video call” in Tinder bios growing by 52 per cent globally.
Plenty of Aussies took to video dating on Tinder, especially during the seemingly never-ending lockdown, with Wollongong crowned the chattiest video city in the land.
Yet, Gen Z was also looking to make a connection with new people close to them for real-life hangouts, with “nearby” and “close by” both increasing by 20 per cent in Tinder bio mentions globally.
This showed that the IRL world wasn’t going out of fashion anytime soon when it came to dating.
First date ideas ranged form cozy to outdoorsy
First date drinks are officially outdated! In 2021, we 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 2x increase in mentions of ‘roller-skating’ in bios and requests for date activities from taking a pottery class to kayaking pop up in bios
When asked about first date go-to plans on Tinder, ‘spontaneous adventure’ and ‘coffee’ were both popular choices made by members in Australia.
Aussie Gen Z’s coffee obsession is clearly stronger than ever, with mentions of ‘coffee date’ in Tinder bios growing by nearly 25 per cent compared to the past year, as daters look for easy ways to see if there’s a connection with a potential match.
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 Tinder bios made Gen Z feel safer to meet someone.
As vaccination drives accelerated locally, mentions of “Vax” in bios in Australia grew by 95 per cent between July and August as members advocated for vaccine status as a dating essential. In fact, the term ‘vax’ appeared 3x as much as mentions of ‘vaccine’ throughout the entire year.
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.
Aussie Tinder members settled on small gestures like ‘surprises me with coffee’ or ‘compliments my outfit’ 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 The Kid LAROI& Justin Bieber’s STAY ranked as chart-toppers in Tinder bios in 2021.
