Tinder has become one of the millennials’ go-to dating apps for so many reasons. It’s fun, functional, mindless, and it works! We all know someone who is dating someone they met on the app. My former roommate even got married to a guy she met on Tinder! The reason why it works is that it’s a screening device, not a dating site. On the app, pictures are the main attraction. You can only add so much information which keeps it surface level and light-hearted. On dating sites, you could argue that too much information gets lost in translation (literally!). Information overload causes idealization, unmet expectations, miscommunication, and misinterpretation on many levels. The thing about Tinder that we all love is that it’s more or less an “I’m attracted to you or not” list that you can swipe through in your sleep. It’s fast, it’s efficient, and it’s fun.
Tinder recently released their “Year in Swipe” where they reported worldwide trends on the app. Some are very random, some are very interesting, but mostly it’s just a fun analysis of how Tinder users like to communicate with each other. For example, the most used GIF in the US, UK, and Australia was the “Friends” How You Doin? GIF. The most used emoji was the laughing-crying one, which is honestly no surprise. That emoji is the new “lol” which is the new period.
You can check out the “Year in Swipe” here.
Tinder’s “Year in Swipe” reveals three key things about dating nowadays.
We’re all very similar, which opens up our dating pool.
“Adventurous, fun, The Office, *dog emoji*, pizza, Drake on repeat, hmu *wink emoji*”
Wait, did I just read your own Tinder bio back to you? Yes, but don’t feel too violated. “Fun” and “travel” are the top two most popular terms used in Tinder bios. The laughing-crying, wink, and dog emojis are the top three. Drake’s “In My Feelings” was the #1 anthem for every country in the world. Everyone also loves pizza, beer, The Office, Friends, and Game of Thrones.
Statistics show that you’re probably guilty of describing yourself the same way most other people on Tinder do. This information is quite fascinating, actually. It tells us just how like-minded millennials are on a surface level. Your personality and characteristics can be totally different from the guy next door, but odds are, you both like to travel, you both like dogs, and you both think those things are important enough to add to your Tinder bio.
Familiarity breeds reciprocity which is just a researcher’s way of saying having things in common causes us to like each other more. If you have pizza and Netflix written on your bio, you’ll want to talk to someone who also has it on theirs. This sort of info doesn’t reveal anything special about the person, but it does make them more likable to you. Even though they’re pretty universally adored things, you’ll end up connecting with people you wouldn’t have thought to swipe right on otherwise, just because they jot it down. More likely than not, you will find lots of people who have those interests, but rather than getting bored of repetition, it opens up your dating pool because keep in mind you will not find every person that likes Netflix and pizza to be physically attractive. So you can pass on this one, you’re bound to find an Office loving cutie soon.
We speak the same language, which isn’t English.
Not only do we describe ourselves the same way, but proper English is a thing of the past. Emojis, memes, gifs, acronyms, and slang words have become commonly accepted as a new form of communication. You don’t actually have to type any words in order to communicate because not only do emojis save us the typing energy, they allow us to express ourselves in ways that would be awkward to type. “You can’t see me right now, but I’m giving you a suggestive smirk,” said no one ever.
In addition to emoji use, Tinder users date other Tinder users that can understand their lingo. I guarantee you that Tinder USA’s Top Slang Terms make absolutely no sense to your parents. In fact, “deadass” is so important, Tinder decided to make it a Top 11 list rather than a Top 10. These are the “words” that made the cut:
HMU
Extra
Foodie
Lit
Low-key
Bae
Woke
Goat
Salty
Savage
Deadass
Men stan* a hard-working queen. (*Stan: a slang word meaning “to admire or idolize.” Tinder users know that.)
Potentially my favorite fact to come out of this compilation of information is that women with “engineer” in their bio get the most swipe rights. ”Scholar” and “doctor” also made the Top 5 list. Isn’t that awesome? Men seem to really admire intelligence and girls who work hard. This info tells us that men don’t find high-achieving girls intimidating at all. It’s something they are looking for in a date!
So there you have it. Who’s feeling ready to swipe?
