Mentions of "Vaccinated" in bios in India grew by 40x: Tinder Year In Swipe 2021

Year in Swipe by Tinder looks back at how the last 12 months unfolded on the app and online behavior and trends that surfaced during the pandemic.

If 2019 had users face-palming at the state of the world and 2020 had them shrugging with uncertainty about the future, 2021 is the year everyone exchanged and adapted to oscillating highs and lows. From sharing a collective look to a common appreciation for simple meet-cutes to keeping it real with vax mentions, Year in Swipe by Tinder shows how the platform members looked to connect with new people in 2021.

Top Emojis

While millions of emojis were used in Tinder bios, one rising star really caught our attention: the Side eye 👀 saw a whopping 40% increase in usage in Tinder bios globally this year, as members showed a mixed bag of optimism and skepticism throughout the year. Further, Indian Gen Z ‘told us without telling us’ the range of emotions they experienced in 2021 with 🖤 and 😊 being the next two popular emojis - highlighting the rollercoaster of a year they have had.

URL or and IRL

In 2021, Gen Z enjoyed both virtual meet-cutes and post-vax IRL dates. Video dates have turned into a first date staple for singletons with mentions of ‘video call’ in Tinder bios growing by 52% globally. A significant number of Indians took to video dating on Tinder where Hyderabad reigned as the chattiest video dating city, followed closely by Chennai and Bengaluru.

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% in Tinder bios globally, showing that the IRL world isn’t going out of fashion anytime soon when it comes to dating.

First date ideas ranged from cozy to outdoorsy

First-date drinks are officially outdated! In 2021, we also 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 ‘long walks’ in bios and requests for date activities from cycling to taking a pottery class in bios. When asked about the first date go-to plans on Tinder*, “picnic in a park” and ‘a virtual movie night’ were both popular choices made by members in India.

Also Read: Tinder introduces the new Explore feature in India

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 their Tinder bios made Gen Z feel safer to meet someone. As vaccination drives accelerated locally between February and August 2021, mentions of ‘Vaccinated’ in bios in India grew by 40x as members advocated for vaccine status as a dating essential.

Small gestures made it big

Mentions of ‘small things’ increased by 30% year on year in Tinder bios as members shared their appreciation for the little joys in life. Our Indian Tinder members settled on small gestures such as ‘getting them coffee’ or ‘complimenting their outfits’ as ones that would make their day. ‘Warm hugs’ made Gen Z feel loved and fuzzy and a ‘new ping from a match’ was guaranteed to bring a huge smile to the majority of members.

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 a lot about their mood.  The raw emotions of Olivia Rodgrio’s good4u and Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber’s STAY ranked as chart-toppers in Tinder bios in 2021. Following them closely were Indian Punjabi favorites like AP Dhillon’s ‘Brown Munde’ and ‘Lover’ by Diljit Dosanjh.