Gen Z daters prefer marching to matching
When Tinder emerged in 2012, a key way to woo a potential match was to show a thirst for adventure and exotic holidays. For today’s daters, however, caring about the environment is far sexier than your holiday snaps.
A report by Tinder looking at trends among its users during the past year has revealed that Generation Z, those aged 18 to 24, prefer their dates to have a passion for climate change over knowing the best beach in Thailand.
The dating app said Gen Z users were much more likely than older generations to mention a cause or mission they were passionate about on their profile. In contrast, millennials, those born between 1982 and 1995, were three times as likely to talk about travel than causes.
‘‘Millennials connect over adventure, while Gen Z bonds over changing the world,’’ Tinder said, adding that younger users ‘‘want a partner, not just to match with, but to march with too’’.
Climate change and the environment topped the list for 18- to 24-year-olds around the world, along with social justice and gun control.
The difference between millennials and Gen Z has already been noted on Instagram, where younger users are reportedly sick of glossy, overly curated photos and prefer authentic-looking shots.
The Tinder report also revealed that Gen Z users’ disappointment at the world around them was best embodied in the rise of the facepalm emoji, which was used 41 per cent more than in 2018.