Despite a global pandemic, singles still made time to date — virtually, that is.
Dating apps saw a boom this year, as it’s the only way to safely meet strangers (at least without a cuddle curtain). Tinder’s insights from their annual Year in Swipe show that not only did users adapt to social distanced-dating, but they embraced it: Messages and swiping was up double digits this fall as opposed to the end of February, according to Tinder’s press release.
“While IRL was on pause, members took to Tinder to share 2020’s biggest cultural moments,” the release reads. Bios served as an outlet for users to share their political and social views — mentions of the word “vote” doubled in 2020, for example — and Tinder asserts that profiles have never been more creative.
Data for Year in Swipe was pulled from Tinder profiles (not creepy at all) from January to November 15 of both 2019 and 2020 to make comparisons when possible. Here are the best insights from Tinder’s Year in Swipe:
Mentions of Black Lives Matter exploded
Beginning in June, when social unrest swept the country in the wake of George Floyd’s brutal killing by police, Tinder users hurried to show their support in their bios: “BLM” mentions grew 55x this year, exceeding the term “hook-up” by the end of the year.
What Tinder didn’t mention in the press release is that some users have been banned after they included the phrase in their bio — and the app hasn’t come up with a solution besides banned users emailing the company. Maybe in 2021?
Top 10 emojis on Tinder in 2020.
Image: Tinder
Just as the pandemic took over our lives, it took over Tinder
The phrase “quarantine and chill” started popping up in bios as early as March. That’s a little concerning, considering that that’s not how quarantining works, but OK. In addition to quarantine-centric pickup lines, users also mentioned masks in their bios ten times more in 2020 than in 2019.
A popular Tiger King take emerged
Yes, Tiger King happened this year — and loads of Tinder users talked about it, particularly the conspiracies. According to Tinder, “Carole Baskin killed her husband” was a common dealbreaker in bios.
Overall, Tinder’s Year in Swipe is par the course for the rest of 2020: All about the pandemic, social unrest, and wondering if some random woman in a flower crown murdered her late husband. The most used emoji on the app this year was the shrug emoji, the perfect encapsulation for the year as a whole.