Single women unwilling to date if prospect not on social media: Survey

CHENNAI: If you are on a digital detox and at the same time looking for a date on dating platforms, chances are less that the person you ‘swiped right’ with will upgrade to a date. At least, that’s the report based on a survey conducted by a dating platform found.

Commissioned by Bumble, the survey was conducted with over 2,000 single Indian adults aged 18-40 across gender identities.

According to the study, over half (54%) of single women in Chennai said that they would be suspicious if their date was not on any social media platform. “A person’s social footprint is a popular way of filtering potential partners. As a woman, I can also say that it’s important from the safety perspective too. At least, a LinkedIn profile is a must,” said Samarpita Samaddar, Bumble’s communication director in India.

And, it’s not enough if the potential date exists on social media; there are expectations about the virtual image too. Social media trends seem to be shaping dating expectations as it sets the standard for how single people in Chennai showcase and celebrate love in modern times, states a Bumble statement.

Their survey found that about 72% of single people in Chennai consider sharing memes, reels, and tagging their partners in relatable content as their love language.

Singles in Chennai also feel the heat of social media trends on their romantic relationships. About 29% of participants in Chennai say they

A person’s social footprint is a popular way of filtering potential partners. As a woman, I can also say that it’s important from the safety perspective too. At least, a LinkedIn profile is a must

— Samarpita Samaddar, Bumble’s communication director, India

feel pressured to date, seeing other couples on social media which gives them “FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)”. A similar percentage also pointed out that they felt pressured by unhealthy comparisons on relationships that are driven by several social media trends.

Opinions on movies and content too seem to be deal-breakers, as daters are evaluating if they want to date someone based on their opinions and viewing preferences. The survey also found that 76% of singles in Chennai believe that their date’s opinions about a movie or show helps to understand them or gauge compatibility. In fact, for 71% of participants, it’s important that their date shares the same taste in movies or show genres as them.

“Whether it’s food choices, table manners or movie/content consumption habits, GenZ and millennial daters, especially women, in Chennai are honest about who and how they want to date. As dating cultures evolve, young Indians are owning their choices and not afraid to stick to them, without making compromises,” Samarpita said.